Sequence 3 - Magicks That Bind - Rough Draft
by SteinMon1920518
Summary: Four months since Beast Boy left, and in the process of adopting her kids, Raven is asked to assist on a mission that unintentionally leads to their reunion. While he's still the changeling, something has changed, and only time will tell if it's for the better. Meanwhile, a young enchantress struggles to balance her mundane life with the arrival of a new guest...
1. Prologue: An Unexpected Find

Prologue: An Unexpected Find

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**A/N:** I put out a prompt two weeks ago (from this day, the 26th of May, in the year of lord, 2019), seeing how many Reviews and PM's could be garnered to reward the faithful readers with a sneak preview of the upcoming story.

With **4 **Reviews and still **2** Private Messages, you guys have hit the Par (barely)! And so, I come baring gifts of the whole Prologue.

Hiatus will commence as soon as this is posted (followed by rewatching the whole series, and maybe the new live-action Titans if I can get it to que up. I hear they might be making a Season 2). I'll be working on some of my other stories such as (Bioshock) _Two Halves of the Same Tear_, and maybe (Warframe) _The First of Their Kind_, during this period as I've been extremely negligent toward them, so I hope I'll read some of you guys there.

**A/N: **If you are a first time reader of this story, this is the third installment of this particular series. There won't be a ton of context provided (because I wrote this assuming you, the reader, had context), so if you haven't already, please read the first story "_Falling Apart_", and the second story "_The Proposition_". Both of these are on my Stories page, and labeled in order via _Sequence #_. I will also post the links to my Biography page.

Also, this is rated T with a potential for M. For questionable elements of course that did not fit into the Summary. Things like Language, definitely Violence, maybe some Blood, the occasional implication and initiation of other "_stuff_". Unless something changes, it stays T, but you've been warned all the same.

READ DILIGENTLY. I await your questions and realizations.

If it's too big of a realization for you to comfortably post without the fear of possibly revealing SPOILERS! for everyone else; Private Message me. I'll get to your message as quickly as time, energy, and focus allows. I may not answer your questions (as that would SPOIL the anticipated answer in the story).

Disclaimer: I've been down this road so many times, I should get frequent travel miles.

Without further ado. *Que the dimming of the lights*

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Magicks That Bind:

Prologue: An Unexpected Find

_Two Months Following the End of _the Proposition -

_In a Little Coffee Shop-Book Store called_ Paper Wings (421 Bakers Avenue, Old Town, Jump City, California), _that also doubled as an Apartment for the Owner on the second floor,_ Morgan Lassiter.

Morgan took a deep breath through her nose as she held a strained smile to her face.

"So do you guys have NickFlurry's?" a bright-eyed, but snooty customer asked, having already taken up five minutes of her sweet time asking for things that _clearly_ were not on the menu. "It's like my cheat day today, so-"

"No," Morgan strained through clenched teeth. Whoever first said there was no such thing as a dumb question(s), was dumber than that line of thinking entailed. "NickFlurry's are from NickRonald's, or, if you're into puns and comics, a walking copyright infringement. This place only sells coffee, tea, muffins, donuts, bagels, and according to the lunch menu, a variety of soups and homemade sandwiches. If you stick around for dinner (_'Please don't!'_), we're making homemade lasagna." Her cheeks were burning from the sheer strain of maintaining her smile. "We also sell books."

"Oooooh! Do you sell magazines? I haven't caught up on the Cosmopolitan," she asked, clearly not understanding what acute context a "book" entailed. "Ooh! Do you have-?"

"No," she answered intuitively, having just laid out the menu in earnest. "We don't have burgers, fries, tacos, burritos, fudge, or ice cream; unless the item in question consists of a breakfast variety. There's only vegetarian if we remove the meat option, and there isn't a vegan option. And don't you dare order a hot venti sugar-free soy caramel latte, no foam, extra whip with a cherry on top. And no, we don't sell magazines."

The customers mouth was left half agape. "How-? Wha-? Can you read minds?" she asked incredulously, leaning in slightly.

_'Yes, but then I run the risk of frying what few brain cells you have left you basic white bi-'_ "No," she answered, keeping her magicks in check like the responsible adult she wished she wasn't. Power aside, reading minds was intrusive and potentially dangerous for the untrained, and she wasn't exactly mind-reader of the year. "I'm just really good at my job."

"Not _that_ good if you don't even have NickFlurry's. Like, tell your boss that I'm gonna leave a bad review on Twitter," the customer snarked, throwing her hair over her shoulder in a huff as she whipped out her smart-phone… without ordering anything. Thankfully, she knew where the exit was; Morgan was afraid she'd have to show her where the door was too.

"Don't forget to post to Tumblr, Instagram, and Facebook. Does this place look like an international fast-food franchise?" Morgan muttered sarcastically under her breath, letting her cheeks relax for a moment. She wasn't about to tell her that she was the owner. Sometimes, you just couldn't fix people anymore than you could fix stupid. She just sighed, and let it go. There were more than a few loyal customers, and she was busy enough.

"Kids these days, am I right?" an older gentleman chuckled from his seat at a table, gently sipping over a mid-afternoon brew while he browsed the paper with a retiree's leisure, sitting calmly with his equally aged comrades.

Morgan just chuckled slightly as she shook her head. "Careful there, Earl. That's my generation you're talking about."

"You don't worry about her," another gent spoke, half-gesturing toward the shop door. "You make a good cuppa joe, Lassie, and that's what keeps 'em coming back."

"You better watch 'im, Lassie. Ol' Pete'll try sweet talking ya into a free muffin 'fore his ol' lady catches 'im." A round of laughter broke out from many of the patrons.

"Jim! God did not intend for man to eat only fruits and salads. I'm too old to worry about somethin' like a diet. If I'm gonna die, it'll be with a… _mmhmm_… blueberry muffin in my belly."

Do what you love, and you'll never work a day in your life. How embodied she felt in those words. Paper Wings wasn't just her home or her business; it was a place good people gathered, congregated, relaxed, smiled. Sure, she was traditional in many of her approaches, and didn't bother with the free Wi-Fi for her business, just to attract the people that spent all day in their phones. But that was okay. The atmosphere was warm and filled with ease. It felt unifying, without the need to socialize; rather than the disconnected feeling of an electronic device, despite the people that surrounded you.

Overall, she loved what she had accomplished. Plus, she loved getting to know the regulars. She knew most of their names by now and had some of their favorite orders down. She was truly happy here.

"Morgan, dear," one of her afternoon full-timers called as she walked over, an older black lady by the name of Naomi, and, since she was honest, her most loyal supporter. "Are you watching the time, honey?"

Morgan looked up at the antique mantle pendulum clock on the wall. "Oh! Thank you." She was going to be late for class if this kept up. She turned to Naomi worriedly. "Are you gonna be okay here? I can always stay and pick up the class notes later. My teacher will understand." She looked around warily, noting the rather busy… no, "productive"… state of her business.

"It's fine," Naomi smiled, leaning in like she was sharing a secret. "A young entrepreneur juggling night school, work, and a business? You're too young to be worrying about an old lady like me. Get upstairs and get ready." To emphasize her point, she gestured with her chin toward the stairs to her apartment. "Go on."

Morgan gave Naomi a quick, but grateful hug. "Thank you. I'll try to make it up to you, I promise." Before she began briskly walking toward the stairs.

"You the boss," Naomi chuckled before stopping fast. "Oh! Package came for you! It's sitting in front of your door. New book?"

"It's probably for the store," she called back.

She could hear Naomi chuckle behind her. "Not when it's label for a "Miss Morgan Lassiter"."

Her ear perked at that. Almost instantly, she began to skip every second step as she rounded a corner and jogged up the remaining stairs. Sure enough, the package lay there in waiting just shy of the door, all of seven weeks late for God-only-knows what reason! She half-wondered how it got lost in the postal system to begin with. She scooped it up as she fished out her keys (thankfully remembered this time), turning the deadbolt and knob-lock before opening the door.

She was greeted by inquisitive eyes as Satoshi, her Japanese Akita, grumbled a welcome-back, huffing like the ol' dog he was as he jumped down from the couch to greet his friend.

"Hey buddy," she said as she bent down, rubbing his ears. His response was to turn his head into her hand, groaning pleasurably as she scratched "the spot" just behind his left ear. "How was your nap?" He just continued to groan.

She ceased, earning her a protest from the canine as he proceeded to a full-body shake. She set her package on the table, moving to her bedroom to begin the process of preparing for school. Backpack? Check. Books? Check. Writing utensils? Check. Ten-page essay that's due? … … On the table! Of course! Grabbing her stuff, she walked out, grabbing the sheets of paper in question and nestling them between a pair of notebooks so she could find it easily without having to tear apart her backpack.

If she hurried, she'd have time to shower before rushing off to Jump City University.

"_Krrrrrrrrrrr_!"

She looked back at Satoshi with a mix of bewilderment and worry. In their couple years together, she'd only known him to growl on rare occasions. He sat on his haunches in front of the table, starring– no, glaring, at the newly arrived package, his neck bristled. He didn't bare his teeth, or stand at attention, and the hackles of his back stayed at ease, but that didn't make his actions any less intriguing.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked, crouching down to rub his shoulder. He didn't look at her, but let out an impatient moan, licking his lips slightly before releasing another chesty growl. "That's not a package for you," she humored, hugging him and kissing him on the head with a smile. "I have to get ready for school, so you behave."

She looked at the package again with a raised eyebrow. She gently held out her hand over it, feeling as magenta wisps of her own power weaved around it, appraising it carefully. The item inside the box was definitely magical. "See, there's nothing to worry about," she said reassuringly, more for her than it was for the dog.

It was fine. Until it responded back. She felt a jerk tension from her hand as a gentle hum began to emanate from the box in question, filling the air like a resonant chord struck from a guitar.

Satoshi's growl quivered, and Morgan took a steadying breath. That was a first. Because why not. She'd never felt a tangible response from an item of magic before, at least, not one so maintained and consistent, steady even. Swallowing, she let some of her energy leak out again, watching again for a response. Nothing.

She waited, nothing happening.

"Nooo. No, no, no, Lassie," she moaned miserably to herself. "You've seen enough shitty two-dollar horror movies to know that you just don't. You don't walk into the dark basement with the flickering lightbulb. You don't watch haunted videotapes…." She looked down at the postal box, clear tape holding the top and bottom shut as though it were the seal that prevented the end of the world. It looked harmless enough, but- Her nose scrunched in frustration. "… and you most certainly _do not_ open magically responsive postal boxes. We all know what happens then. Monsters. Demons. Ghosts. Leprechauns. The Tooth Fairy!"

She knew she was over-exaggerating but still. Curiosity was a bitch! It poked and prodded at her, tempting her forward when paranoia told her not to. She sighed to herself. It wasn't going to do any good to leave it in the box anyway. The magic wasn't from the box, it was from the item within the box. A potential ninth century relic of unknown value, unknown origin, and unknown utility. Despite the fact she'd rather finish getting ready for school, she was going to have to call this one in. Perhaps it was nerves. Perhaps it was excitement after waiting so long. Perhaps it was the fact that her tongue clicked sharply in resignation to what she wanted.

She looked at Satoshi as she fished out her cellphone. He was still glaring fangs and claws at the box. She dialed the number, kind of surprised that the residual magical resonance from the book in the box wasn't messing with the phone's service, though not complaining about it in the least. "Yes, Professor Lansy…. Hi, it's Morgan Lassiter…. Yeah, I'm calling in to let you know that I won't make it tonight…. Oh, no! Nothing bad. The pipes hopefully won't burst again any time soon. I just received a package that's significant to my work and I need to make sure everything goes smoothly…. Yes, I do have the essay done. I can e-mail that to you now…. Thank you. And if it isn't too much trouble, could I perchance get ahold of the class notes…? Thank you so much. I appreciate it…. Uh-huh, I won't stay up too late…. And you too. Bye."

Crisis Number One averted only just with not a false statement to be seen, she hung up, looking at the unopened box in contemplation as she tapped the phone against her upper lip in thought as she walked over to do exactly as she said she would. Pulling out her computer from between the couch and the wall, she quickly went about entering her protective password and opening up a browser so she could e-mail her essay. It took less than five minutes, and the moment she was done, she returned her computer to its designated spot. Luckily, she had only one class that evening, and the timing conveniently served her well. Unlike tomorrow, which held four of her classes and a chapter test.

Her preparations complete, she walked back over. Using her fingernail to get under the corner of the tape, she began pulling it up along the side as though the cardboard would bite if provoked too much. Satoshi let out a close-mouthed barked that sputtered past his chops, but otherwise didn't participate in his friend's hesitation as he continued to watch vigilantly.

"Welcome to your new home," Morgan said in intrigue, looking down at her purchase. Although… the artifact in person, without the grainy photography to impend its splendor, was something else… if one was into that sort of thing.

Up close, the book's white leather looked as soft as velvet, with an almost invisible imprinted design along its cover as if the cover hide had been hard-pressed; more picture than ancient script, though what it depicted wasn't clear to her. The metal corners were knicked and unevened by time. The metallic ring was in the dead center of the cover, also adorned with signs of age. The pages were cut hide, tinged yellow, and smelling of age and the animal glue the tome was bonded with. Along the spine, a slight bend at the top was notable, possibly from being pulled from a shelf regularly. A strip of dark gray metal also seemed to make up part of the binding, though it didn't show as much age as the corners or ring.

"Fascinating," she muttered, reaching in to touch the cover. It felt as soft as it looked. If she was a weirdo, she might have rubbed her cheek against it to feel just how soft, but she wasn't a weirdo, so instead she continued to observe it critically. "For a ninth century tome, _you_, my little friend, are _very_ well preserved."

She pulled it out of the box, pushing the cardboard to the side as she pulled the book up from the burial of packing peanuts, inhaling from the tome. Oh yeah; nothing like the smell of an old book met with centuries old magic. You'd have to be a _genius_ to falsify something like that. Still… five-thousand dollars for it was cheap. Whoever had owned it previously obviously didn't know what they had….

Or they were trying to get rid of it.

Morgan looked back at Satoshi, who had been silent. He looked up at her, cocking his head inquisitively, as if somatically wondering why she was looking at him.

"Well, might as well find out what you do," she said back to the book, "but first…." She put her hand over the cover-ring, letting her magic pour out gently in a spell over the book. "… to check for traps." After the "Assassin Vine Sigil Incident" five years ago, she made a habit of checking before she opened magic books and scrolls. Sherlock the Turtle would have been going on fifty-four years old if she had only checked for magic traps. She'd be damned if she lost Satoshi too.

_'Deciphering basic magic structure. Clear. Isolating arcane components. Clear. Analyzing spell…,'_ she thought systematically, her magic swiftly cataloging the entire format of spell work using a geometrical matrix to keep track of each layer. "… Four-fold Transmogrification, Retainment, Imprisonment, and Curse," she finished with interest. It wasn't a trap; not when something, or maybe someone, was already caught and caged. But some of the spells used all together were familiar. "Alchemic dimensional folding, essence entwinement, mana siphoning, and the Chains of "friggin'" Algaaron. Ergo, something big and powerful."

She snorted hysterically, chuckling to herself as she looked at a confused Satoshi. "I just bought a magic prison." She chuckled to herself again. "I bought someone's magic prison with God knows what in it. With my luck, it's an ancient Djinn hell-bent on revenge." Pessimistic as usual.

She looked at the book again, logic taking precedence over the slight panic she was feeling. "_Bu-ut_ you'd need a powerful catalyst to contain something like that. An ordinary book would have vaporized." She picked it up turning it this way and that. Well… she'd already checked for traps.

She gingerly peeled back the cover, listening as the spine creaked, and pages crisped with a hint of barely restrained glee. She almost screamed ecstatically. _'Oh-ho! Jackpot!'_ Never mind that something was trapped within the book!

She knelt down, throwing her arms around the baffled Akita as she kissed him on the head. "Guess what we got!" she cooed. "Guess." She gestured at the book as though she was presenting it to the dog. "_That_, is a genuine wizard's spellbook."

Satoshi snorted slightly, groaning as he turned to look at the couch instead, as if to say, "I got out of bed for this?"

She pulled down the book to show him, sitting cross-legged as she nestled the covers on her knees. Inside the cover was adorned with a series of emblems.

"Holy shit," Morgan lipped slightly. "Whoever used this thing, he made a lot of friends to get this much recognition. Here," she said, pointing at an emblem she recognized, "the Order of Ouroboros. Ooo! The Lament of Labors! The House of Life. Now that's old. Or here, the Imperium of the Moon Lily."

She looked over at the table, the latter emblem's namesake growing peacefully in its fire-hardened clay pot. Smiling, she returned to her perusing. One of the insignias quickly dominated over all others. A crooked wand crossed with a ruffled quilled feather in front of a sword, all positioned in front of a tower. At the tip of the tower stood a star, encompassed in three thinly drawn, but equilateral rings.

"Arch Mage and Grand Wizard of the Third-Order," she said in one breath, followed by wide eyes and a sharp inhale through her nose. There were only two levels higher in the old wizarding hierarchies, so the owner was by far an important figure; only outranked by the five Wizards of the Second-Order, and the sole Wizard of the First-Order; such as it was in those days. By comparison to the original owner of the grimoire in question, she didn't even count as Mickey Mouse in the Sorcerer's Apprentice cartoon; she was more like the broom before it was enchanted, or maybe the never-enchanted bucket. Her luck, which was terrible to a "t" on average, was, perhaps, starting to shift; if only a smidge. Of all the things to end up in her possession, this was by far the most valuable; prison or no. Giddy at prospect of her purchase, she turned the page.

The next page was organized with a strange geometric design, a series of circles interconnecting, spear-mounting into an octagram; an almost stencil-cut image taking up the center. Each line was hand-drawn, eloquent, and symmetrical where it counted, but easily deductible as the work of an amateur or apprentice from the ink smudges and… whatever else had been spilt on the millenia old text; the owner's first attempt at a custom spell no doubt.

"Whoever drew this was a genius. No wonder they were made a Grand Wizard," she commented in wonder. "The fluctuation-to-regulation field is a little weak, but overall the execution is near flawless." She looked over the spell formulae in awe, almost absently noticing a scrawled set of notes on the side. _'What's better than a genius?'_ she pondered. The notes were encoded both magically and non-magically. This guy was smart. _Really_ smart. And cautious as anyone she'd ever known. Clearly he didn't want anyone pulling apart his spell. Luckily for Morgan, she had a pension for reading the drawings and designs, even if she didn't fully understand its purpose or the step-by-step process to its casting.

With that came a disturbing thought. "If this is your spell book, why did you use it to imprison something? You were smart, cautious, and powerful from what I can tell. What could have been so bad that you had to use your spell book as a containment catalyst? You didn't have time to use anything else, perhaps?"

Satoshi gave a nasally sneeze in response, shaking his head lightly.

Morgan looked back at the image in the center of the octagram, feeling a chill almost radiating from it. Eight star-points, same as a compass rose, representing the eight configured cardinal directions seen in magicks world-wide. The image was easily distinguishable, etched out in abstract detail that left little to the imagination.

The side-view of a dragon, as though it were laying within the spell work. The terrestrial look and saurian form combined with the massive wings immediately pointed it out as a True Western European variant of the animal Order under _Drakonia_; like the kind one would expect to kidnap a princess away to a cave full of horded treasure.

Fascinating… the first custom spell devised by a young prodigy wizard, who went on to become a Grand Master and an Arch Mage, and it was a spell derived for or from one of the most powerful creatures ever to walk the earth or fly the skies. Why?

Morgan suddenly had a bad feeling about what exactly was trapped within the book, given its impromptu use as a prison. But as long as she didn't probe too deep, she wasn't worried. What was she going to do otherwise? Rub the book spine, make three wishes, and call everything peachy?

She cautiously leafed through the pages, finding a multitude of various spells and their corresponding encoded texts, though none were as intriguing as the first. Morgan could deduce enough of the spells by sight alone, without decoding any of its master's notes: _Ionic Plasma Combustion_, _Stone Step_, _Boost Dexterity_, _Heal Wounds_, _Call Storm_, and the like. The guy knew plenty of different spells, she'd give him that. A little over three-fifths through the grimoire was where things got interesting.

Newer pages, as if they were added later to the book's already impressive arsenal of spellwork. Covered in illustrations and decipherable characters that spelled out a story. It wasn't encoded, and the calligraphy itself was different from what was seen alongside the various spells. If she had to guess, it was a scribe's recounting rather than penned by the wizard himself.

Morgan frowned. She wasn't interested in some romanticized recounting unless it was penned by the wizard themselves; who had that kind of time for biased history? It was like getting all your facts from a cereal box. No thanks. She already had homework to cover all the literature she didn't want to read, and a whole bookstore for the stuff she did. Somewhat disappointed in the last half of her find, but still undeterred, she snapped the ancient book closed.

"_Oomph!_"

Morgan froze, her eyes turning slowly in their sockets to the book in her hand. Satoshi's neck began to bristle again, a sharp grumble exiting his mouth as he stood to all fours at attention.

_'Oh God! You finally did it, Lassie! You finally got us killed! There isn't a Holy Hand Grenade in sight; so if this thing summons a Vorpal Rabbit, I will personally haunt you until the worlds end!'_ she over-exaggerated to herself in panic.

Just barely aware that her breath was held, she very carefully put the book down on the floor, as she scooted away.

_"Mmmh_,_"_ she heard again, vaguely aware that the sound was audible, given Satoshi's rising growl as his head lowered, his lip twitching. _"Huh? Where did everything go?"_

Morgan had to slap a hand over her mouth to keep from answering like an idiot. Before she had time to process much else, she felt a soft caress touch at the forefront of her mind, almost asking permission as much as it was cautiously probing. She acted instantly, her mental fortifications erecting even as energy formed around her outcast middle and ring fingers. Her grey eyes began to glow silver as her red hair lifted and billowed in response to the arcane flowing from her, as if caught in an updraft of wind.

Satoshi growled warningly in response with his human, his back bristling with his neck.

_"Oh, my apologies," _the book said. _"I was unaware an enchantress was present. Along with her… faithful companion."_

Before she could stop herself, she reacted with a yelp, her magicks lifting up and wrapping hastily around the book, forming chains of power that clinked as she snapped her fist closed, tightening the ensnarement.

"State your purpose, entity," she commanded with as much courage as a barely novice enchantress could muster with not but herself and her pet. "And while we're on that subject, what are you? What are your intentions? Where are you from? And who are you?"

_"You know the questions to ask, but not the subtlety to get them,"_ the book commented, almost disappointed. _"Clearly a self-taught curr. No discipline, and no _manners_."_

Morgan could almost see an invisible hand brush to the side, her spelled chains fading almost instantly as the book continued floating in place.

_"Now, my turn."_ The book opened, a stream of pages shooting from its spine as it created a maelstrom of parchment that quickly wrapped around Morgan, fastening her arms and legs, and leaving little if any wiggle room. The air crackled and the lights flickered before fading, leaving only the glow of magic and the afternoon sun through her windows as the sources of light. Without a proper means to stay aloft, she tipped forward, landing heavily on her chest with an "Oof!" She was just glad she kept her floor clean. Still, landing awkwardly on one of her planters would have hurt like nobodies business.

_"Where am I? Who are you? Why do I feel strange? What did you do to me? And how did I come to be here?"_

"And you said I had no manners," she snorted, even as Satoshi began pulling at the pages that bound her, growling in frustration before he nuzzled her face, licking her head with a nosy whine. "Yes, I'm fine," she reassured. "Thank you for the kisses, just-"

She began spitting and sputtering as one of Satoshi's "kisses" landed right on her mouth. "Gross! What did you eat?!"

The Akita only huffed in offense, as if saying, "Only what you let me eat."

_"Clearly, the beast is distracting,"_ the book commented, another page snapping out and wrapping around his snout. The dog moaned pathetically as he tried kicking it off with his paws, but to no avail. _"Now answer me!"_

Morgan glared at the book, or rather, the entity trapped within the book. Slowly. Very slowly, a smile creeped onto her face. "No one. Muzzles. My. Dog."

_"Wha-"_ The book suddenly collapsed to the ground, the spell holding it aloft suddenly dissipated. _"Ow."_

Morgan slowly sifted out of the loosened pages, groaning at her sore ribs as she rolled over on her back, splaying her arms out as she reveled in the feeling of non-constricted arms, even though she had only been bound for less than a minute.

_"Wha- what did you do to me?"_

Morgan just scoffed. "Double-layered spell. _Ethereal Chain Binding_ mixed with a reactive timing to _Mana Worms_. The moment you used your power, you were finished." She chuckled to herself.

_"Impressive,"_ the book commented, still laying prone on its cover. _"A praise-worthy feat. Even if your mana is weak, you do know how to use it efficiently. Even if it was under-handed."_

"Says the Djinn in a book who just got his ass whooped by a "self-taught curr"," she retorted smugly.

_"I'm not a Djinn,"_ the book growled in offense, suddenly confused. _"Wait… I'm trapped in a book?"_

"A spell book," she pointed out unhelpfully. "Wait. You're not a Djinn?"

_"A spell book?! How did I become trapped in a spell book?!"_ the book demanded, slightly hoping from the ground in exclamation. In a much softer mutter, said, _"Did the spell rebound? It would explain much. If that's the case where is-?"_

"Wait a second," Morgan groaned, pushing to her feet, as she walked to the book, snatching it up off the floor before pointing two crackling fingers toward the books center. "If you're not a Djinn, then what are you?"

_"A wizard and sorcerer. What else?"_ the book asked, as if the answer had been obvious, completely ignoring her spell-lit hand. She felt an analytic wave of energy roll through her. _"Just as I suspected. An enchantress."_

"Ohhhh! I'm so sorry," she replied sarcastically, quickly Astral-backhanding its magicks away. "It should have been sooo obvious that you were a wizard and sorcerer. I mean, of _course_ you're a wizard and sorcerer. It must have been written _right_ on the cover. _Sooo_ obvious."

_"Sarcasm ill becomes your position,"_ it chastised back. _"It lacks all sense of decency, poise, and grace befitting your station."_

"Sorry, not sorry, to disappoint," she commented indifferently, somewhat rudely tossing the book on the table. She pulled out one of the chairs to sit down. "You're a "watcha-ma-call-it" trapped in a book. There's no reason to trust anything you say. For all I know, you were trapped for a good reason, and you just want out."

_"Who wouldn't want out? It's cramped, my spine is straighter than it's ever been, and, if forced to endure reading myself, how utterly boring everything would become. Not to mention I could have been driven insane by years of sensory deprivation if it hadn't been for the wonderous benefits of deep-sleep."_

"Fair," she admitted, before quickly adding, "But I still don't trust you." She took a moment to digest just how quickly the conversation had changed. "And I'm talking to you, like you didn't just bind me and muzzle my dog, and knock out my electricity." She got up in exasperation, holding a hand to her face in contemplation, looking questioningly at Satoshi, who had long since pulled his parchment off. His old dog eyes just looked at her, clearly just as confused by her actions as she was.

_"I'm afraid I don't have proof, but perhaps…."_ The book opened of its own accord, pages rapidly leafing by. _"Yes, yes. Figures,"_ he commented to himself before saying,_ "Now, do you know any truth spells? If so, they may prove relieving for you, and fruitful to me."_

Morgan looked at Satoshi with a raised brow, before resting her hands against the table, looking down at the book in question. To her amazement, the lettering was gathering, the ink pulling across the pages as it reshaped into a slowly emerging picture of shades between iron gall ink, charcoal, and hide.

Before long, all that she looked at, was a youthful face she had never seen before, eyes that reminded her slightly of a cat's staring from the page. The face was framed by lighter hair that fell past the page, bangs falling over a surprisingly gentle brow. The nose lead smoothly from between thin brows to a gentle point. The jowls were angled and lead down to a slightly jutted chin. The lips were what caught her off guard, almost non-existent, except for the simple definition that could be determined through shading. If it wasn't for the smoothly rounded ears peaking from behind its hair, it would have reminded Morgan of how she imagined a fairy-kin to look. Maybe like one of Tolkein's graceful elves from his Middle-Earth novels. The portrait was certainly handsome enough… in a rugged, possibly deceptive, way.

However, it was the slender throat that caught her eye; the larynx: the air passage and voice box. It was oddly pronounced, the trachea given definition as it disappeared past the page edge, shaped in a way that Morgan found… unnatural. Like ridges overlapped on top of each other instead of rings of cartilage.

Well, the slightly slit eyes too. But mostly the throat.

"An-nd who is that?" she asked, eyebrow raising at the book… before remembering that it didn't have any eyes.

_"My original form,"_ the book answered simply. _"Or at least, the last I can remember of it. I don't exactly know how long it's been since I've seen a mirror."_ It was a project self-image. So either it had an ego as thick as this spellbook, or it was just _that_ good-looking… or it was a trap.

She nodded somewhat before taking a deep breath. "Okay then." A small enchanting circle of energy formed over her hands, lighting up the room with an iron-scale silver glow, two more stacking atop it as they began turning, as if puzzle pieces were jaggedly attempting to fit.

_"What is that?"_

"An honest-to-goodness truth spell," she stated. "It just needs some calibration. Layers upon layers of conditions."

_"And you can do this naturally?"_ it asked, curiosity layered in the voice.

Morgan just shrugged as the circles stopped rotating, collapsing into one. Without so much as a comment, she palmed the circle against the book, the spell hovering just shy of the cover.

"Now," she said, her brows furrowing seriously, "who are you?"

_"Jarl Sigdrid of the Northern Lands,"_ it answered, as if it were watching the circle for a reaction, like a child seeing just how hot the stove was. The spell glowed red hot, a sizzling sound scalding its way to Morgan's ears as the circle edged closer to the book. _"Nggh!"_ it groaned painfully, just before Morgan's fingers sparked, the spell raising again in response. _"G-good to see your spell works."_

"And I'm not playing around," she growled, reverbed by a like growl from her four-legged companion.

The entity in the book just sighed humorlessly._ "I am Arch Mage and Wizard of the Third Order, Rorek of Nol."_

Morgan watched the spell with a frown. Nothing happened. It was telling the truth. "Third Order? So that's-"

_"My spell book I'm trapped in? Yes. At least, I'm fairly certain that is my handwriting. It looks _so_ sloppy from this angle."_

"Then how did you get trapped in your own spell book?"

_"_That_ is what I'd like to know."_

A knock at her door startled her, as she shot around. "Morgan, honey? You still here? The power's out." It was just Naomi.

_'Right! Magic knocked my power out!'_

Gently collecting herself, she turned back to the book, only to see that the page had returned to normal text. "Yeah, I'm still here. I'll check the breaker box, see if the circuit was tripped."

Things were definitely going to be interesting.

* * *

_Across the city, in Suburbia..._

He was laying on the "safe house" mattress, staring up at the ceiling. It was dark, the only indication of light coming from around the edge of the blackout curtains. The space was empty save for the bed, but clean, smelling slightly of fresh lemon zest and a recently vacuumed carpet. Other scents, like fresh-baked cookies, pizza, and something like homemade chicken noodle soup also hung in the air; giving it slightly heavier, but homey feel. Probably to cover the scent of burned and _burning_ food.

He wasn't alone either in this rather temporary and luxurious (as far as he was concerned) suburban abode. There were three others, all of whom scared the ever-living daylights out of him, though only one of them was anything resembling kind. Worse yet, he had been in his own personal living hell for the past four months: Not a single comic, video game, or collectors set to keep him company as he planned new ways to challenge his Nemesai. Worse yet, he could see Spoilers through the fourth wall for every major show he enjoyed– _had_ enjoyed. His interest had faded with his broken heart. To top it off, none of his "comrades" were interested in talking. About anything, accept the imposed mission he'd been roped into! Nothing remotely interesting exited their mouths.

Overall, he was dead inside.

Just because he could see and hear things no one else could. Crazy? They didn't seem to think so. At this rate, he wished he was just the average challenger and villain he had been once upon a time. Things were much simpler back in those days.

Regardless, at least there were homecooked meals, even if most of the time they were closer to charcoal briquettes whose only purpose was to reduce the chance that the food itself would poison them. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had home-food before basically being kidnapped… with his consent? He wasn't sure anymore, which made him wonder if he was a little Stockholm.

He sighed as he leaned back in the bed he occupied, splaying out like a half-melted stick of butter, wishing there was something remotely fun to do amid his perpetual Limbo.

("_It's time_," the call came.)

He sat up fast enough to give himself whiplash as a series of images entered his mind, connecting him across the Primal Monitor as the _Greatest of Evils_ spoke directly to him for the first time since that fateful and horrendous day. The things that had been, the things that were, and sometimes, the things that would be. The Reviews, the Private Messages, the teases; many of the things that had transpired in his absence for an audience that this world was unaware of.

"You sick bastard," he growled at the author that had decided their fates, the fourth-wall's revelation of currently transpiring events and connected dots blazing through him. "You had that bird-brained asshole propose to that lovely and genuinely sweet alien beauty?! As if he'd ever appreciate her?! And don't even get me started on the sorceress and the changeling! You have so much unresolved bull-crap there, it would take you a year to clear it out! A pox upon you! May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your-!"

"Excuse me?"

He shrieked indignantly, clutching his chest at the silence of the robed figure that had practically stalked into the room, oven mitts and an apron suggesting she had been cooking again. Judging by the scorch marks on the mitts and the char smear on the apron, he wouldn't be at risk of poisoning for at least another week.

The other two were generally absent, which was fine by him. If the older man was here, he wouldn't have hesitated to slice him in half if he thought he had insulted the woman in front of him. He was just glad that that younger psychopa- *clears throat* woman _he_ called daughter wasn't present either; she might have decided to cut him up on some misconstrued principle regardless.

"Not you," he denied, waving his hands wildly, before taking a deep breath to calm down. "He's back! That heterochromia iridum'd, unshaven, pony-tailed bastard contacted me again. He's fucking with the timelines, and somehow, it makes perfect sense in that semi-idiopathic brain of his! Whatever's going to happen will happen soon. God only knows what he'll do to my Nemesai!" He clutched his face in exasperation. There was a nervousness to his voice that took the figure back.

"When, Eugene?" she asked, using his birth-name gently.

Eugene Thomas, a.k.a. Control Freak, looked at her with something like fear as he shook his head, the pages ahead already "mostly"-written. "It's too late. We can't stop it. We can only follow his notions and hope the Titans live to see Sequence Four."

*Que Theme Song

* * *

**A/N:** Whacha guys thinking? Too much? Too little? Just enough to satiate you over? Can you guys live off of this for the next few weeks/months?

Once again, this is a Rough Draft, so if there is anything that needs edited, or is connecting in a weird way for you guys, let me know and I'll try to clean up the text. I do accept grammar and spelling errors too. (A copy and paste, but hey, some things are worth repeating for you fine folk)

As always (and I'll just keep posting this because its true), keep posting your constructive criticisms, as they will help me know what to look for in my future writings, and for the days I decide to do a hard edit. A writer should never stop growing, and I have no intention of stopping now.

I wanted to start off with the same feeling I had at the end of Sequence 2: With Morgan Lassiter's mundanely magical life. I hope the intro came with as much anticipation and surprise as could be expected. There is a whole story about this coming your way, so watch out!

As for Control Freak, I couldn't very well leave him and his "captures" unannounced, especially since they didn't make a showing in Sequence 2.

I hope you guys enjoyed this new beginning, so please Read and Review, and Private Message if you're shy or prefer your inquiries to be... well, private. Please indulge my curiosity, and let me know what parts you liked, what parts need work, and overall what you guys think about it :D

Upcoming _Magicks That Bind_ \- Chapter 1 (still don't have a chapter name for it yet) in a few weeks or months, however long it takes to finish the series again, and maybe get a few more chapters out of my other stories.

You guys enjoy your upcoming Summer!


	2. Chapter 1: Closer Than You Think

Chapter 1: Closer Than You Think

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys.

Still technically on hiatus, but I was still working, so I thought I'd post the next chapter while I had it written down. And now to prepare my excuse chart for all the reasons I'm _still_ on hiatus: First was the writer's block, then the lethargy set in, and _then_... to top it off with a cherry, the fan to the computer I was using quit working, so then I had to get that fixed. Then I bought a new computer. Then I sat down and started reading more Fanfiction. A _lot_ more. I'm over seventeen stories in and over a million words read in just the past few months (*smiles smugly, because he's clearly proud of this accomplishment*). Least, and probably not last, I got a promotion at work; this really cuts in to any time I would spend writing, but it was a position I was basically already doing all the work for, now I just get paid for it. There are several more responsibilities involved now that it's official, but I wanted to reassure you guys that I'm not gone... just wishing I could do what I love for a living.

_**Review Responses:**_

-PoisonPen37: Perhaps not now, but more to come later (heheheh! *cough, clears throat*)

-Chicolovesquacking: Thank you! :) Still technically on hiatus, but hopefully I'll be getting out chapters for more of my stories here soon.

-TheAlienHeart: I will say- I made some interesting connections and developed some theories. While I knew the base of what wanted for Sequence 3, it took on a whole new life of it's own when I actually began wrapping up Sequence 2. Most of what will happen over the course of the story is actually what evolved from the initial outline. And no, it won't be pretty!

-Allen Blaster: A little (a lot) late, but better late than never. Plenty. Plenty will happen too- I mean "with", the Titans.

-Invictus Icarus: "Karen"? That's a new term. I like it! That whole scene was actually based off of a real-life encounter I witnessed (no joke) :D I couldn't-not after I began writing that scene.

"White person from an 80's horror film"? I know you couldn't see it, but I gut-rolled after I read that.

The way I saw Morgan when it came to the spellbook was almost the side of magic that isn't Raven. Raven was born with her power, but has no desire to expand upon it given it's instability thanks to her emotions and it's source; and she's an avid reader with time on her hands, so she's attracted to the story found at the back of the book. Morgan cultivated her power, earned it, and is intrigued to learn new things about it; but has no desire to dedicate her time to something that's potentially a waste of time, hence she's attracted to the spells at the front of the book. A little bit of give, and little bit of take, but I saw them as almost two sides of the same coin.

-Malcolm7281: "Oh Lord, bless this, thy hand grenade, that with it, thou may blow thy enemies to tiny bits... in thy mercy."

-Mr. Ursine: Yeah, I know. Don't think I'll make it easy on anyone just because the official BBRae may or may not be commencing in this story. Titans- live action was actually better than I thought it would be. The trailers didn't do it justice, but it still wasn't the Titans I hoped for. I commend the actors for making the most of their parts, considering they aren't the screenwriters, but made the most of their characters in the show anyway (I especially loved Ryan Potter's interpretation of Garfield, but I have to say I found Teagan Croft's version of Raven was easier to empathize with). My favorite part was easily Negative Man/Larry cooking and dancing to AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" (Episode 4: Doom Patrol). I laughed so hard I cried. Still, I'm really stoked for Season 2.

Let me know how ya liked the edits for Sequence 2, and I'll read ya next time.

-Golem XIV: Oh?! You have theories?! Well, I can't say I don't appreciate that you're being patient about it, but I'd still like to pick your brain about it over PM. That's how I get ideas. Evil, evil ideas! (Mua-ha-ha-ha-hah! Heeeeeeeeeeeeeh!)

***End of Responses**

Disclaimer: I won't say it! You can't make me! I refuse to believe I don't own the Teen Titans!

**Read and Review **if you like (I'd say # of Reviews equals love, but the sheer amount of Favorites and Follows I got in the first few days were love enough)

Without further ado. *Que the dimming of the lights*

* * *

Magicks That Bind:

Chapter 1: Closer Than You Think

_A few hundred miles south-south-east as the Raven flies…_

"So, remind me why I'm doing this?" Raven half-demanded, half-asked to her console. "I finally get all the legal work done and approved to get my kids, and _you_ send me out on assignment." Her tone was bitter and accusatory. "I should be preparing to pick them up right now. _Not_ travelling."

_"I'm sorry Raven,"_ Nightwing apologized over the screen, looking over a clipboard as he debriefed her. _"But we got a call from Pantha and the twins requesting backup."_

"Don't they already have that new kid?" she asked in her usual monotone, slightly banking her wing of the T-Ship.

_"Jaime? Yeah,"_ he responded. _"But we still got called. Whatever they're dealing with, it must be pretty serious."_

"And you couldn't have sent someone else?" she asked, knowing the answer she was going to get before it even formed on his lips. "I know I'm not due to pick the kids up for several more days, but I can't be late for this, Dick. What is that going to tell Child Services about me being a parent? Hero or not."

_"I wish we could, Raven, but they asked for you specifically. You'll get back in time."_ He was only half paying attention, flipping up the first page in his hand to look at the second. _"Besides, Cyborg is finishing up the "Last of his Stage One" touches on the Tower, and he said they can't wait, and Star and I are trying to plan our wedding. I've already sorted through half-a-dozen caterers, photographers, and venues. We've gone cake tasting and looked at table linens, and we're still trying to decide on our color scheme."_ He sighed, his face looking as miserable as he was happy. _"_And_ we haven't even ironed out a guest list, much less set a date."_

Raven smiled slightly. Honestly, the past two months were probably the happiest she had ever seen either of them… and she knew that said a lot. "Sounds… stressful," she commented plainly, unsure of what else to say, despite how much she wanted to argue her more immediate issue.

_"Not really,"_ he returned dismissively. _"The hardest part is trying to keep it under wraps. If the media was in a frenzy when we started dating, then it'll be a blood bath once they find out we're engaged. The news would try strangling every little detail out of us. It would turn the most glorious dream into a perfect nightmare. God! Where's a masked madman when I need one."_

"We're all just glad you finally grew a pair," she said, giving a small smile so he would know she was only teasing him. Honestly though, she knew Richard was putting his heart and soul into this. While she was far from an expert when it came to matters of wedding planning, she didn't know if Earth possessed another man who would put so much thought, time, and energy into his own wedding. Then again, she didn't know any woman like Starfire that would _let_ the guy help plan the wedding. Thankfully though, he seemed to be steering Star away from the evil and vile color schemes of pink. Raven would be forever grateful. If she had to wear a pink bridesmaid dress… Azar help them all.

He smiled a little before becoming serious again. _"Anyway, Pantha is running point for this mission. The details were pretty scarce, but it may be some of those incidences that they've been dealing with down south. They were able to garner support from the local government once the situation had escalated, so you should at least have local law enforcement's cooperation; not that you'll be anywhere remotely "local" mind you. Keep in touch if you can. The sooner the situation is handled, the sooner you can go get your kids and head home."_

_'I should have been tucking in my hellions a month ago!'_ Rage spat mentally, with a bitter twinge that could have curdled fat-free milk, causing Raven an iota of discomfort that she had grown accustom to over the past couple months.

"Next time, Dick, don't use my kids as incentive for an assignment that I didn't sign up for," Raven instructed, a small bubbly warmth touching her chest when she said "my kids". "There's a special place in Hell I'd be more than willing to reserve for you, _just_ for that."

_"Over and out,"_ he said with a chuckle. And with that, Raven was alone again. But not for long.

She smiled to herself as she let the ship's auto-pilot guide her toward her destination. And without anything more to do, she sat in her less-than spacious cockpit, her hands coming together in meditation as she reached out to the deeper recesses of her mind before immersing into her own thoughts…

… She opened her eyes to find herself floating in her lotus stance under in a cool, cloudy grey sky; surrounded by birches, maples, and oaks caught in the middle of autumn. The canopy of fiery-colored leaves swayed to a gentle breeze, her tense-sore muscles unknotting gently. A world, a mindscape, composed of half her mental energies. The other half was _his_.

"Welcome back," Brave greeted down from a tree, waving lightly as she tipped backwards, swinging upside-down from her legs with a "_Whoop_!".

"What are you doing here?" Raven demanded with a half-glare, her tone suggesting she wasn't in the mood to deal with her.

"Oh! C'mon," Happy whined, quickly perking up as she held her hands out like she was an airplane, jumping between exposed rocks in a nearby stream. "It's so boring in our own head. We should know, we've only been there for years." She immediately began making engine sounds as she "flew" around. "This place is much more fun!"

"This isn't some vacation," Raven reprimanded. "This is the amalgamation of mine and Ga- Beast Boy's link given form. Just because I share it, doesn't mean you can come and go in here as you please. I came here to relax for a moment. Not babysit my emotions."

"Where you go, we go," Brave stated from her hanging position, cocking her head slightly as her leaf-green cloak swung beneath her. "Besides, some of us have been searching under every rock, root, tree, and speck of dirt looking for the entrance to Garfield's mind in here. We've been taking shifts."

The ground underneath Raven's feet rumbled as a head in an orange hood poked out, sending dirt spurting in a mound. "_Aaaand_ nothing," Rude commented blandly, pulling herself out with a shovel in hand. "I swear, I've dug enough tunnel to make it to China. _TWICE!_ Still zilch!" She gently turned her head and began whacking it with her palm, dirt flicking opposite from her ear before she turned toward her original. "Besides, only some of us are spared here. Most everyone else stays inside _your_ head."

"Sorry I'm not keeping track. In case you haven't noticed, I'm about to be a mom," Raven stated with _some_ sarcasm.

Brave smiled proudly. "You're welcome. I'd like to think I played my part quite nicely."

Happy began floating, her arms flailing as she voiced her joy in hollers that echoed through the trees. "I'm going to be a ~mooommy~!" she sang, followed by another series of trumpeting noises to jubilantly express herself.

"I'm not even sure where I come into this, but, _yay_," Rude commented weakly. "I'll leave that stuff to all the gushy _emotions_, and all of their equally gushy emotions. I can't exactly be my namesake about the kids." She immediately propped the shovel over her shoulder before jumping back down in the hole she had come out of.

"Hey!" she called distantly from underground, "I think I struck oil!"

Raven just rolled her eyes before returning her attention forward to the other two "trespassers". "Look, I appreciate your… or my… dedication to finding Gar- Beast Boy." She grumbled in annoyance at how she corrected herself. "But the fact is, he won't be found unless he wants to be found. For all we know, his half of this place makes it a labyrinth. Can't you guys just focus on the good things that are _finally_ happening now? The paper- and legal- work is done now. We get to pick up our kids. We get to bring them _home_." Under normal circumstances, Raven knew that calling the Tower her home, that claiming it was the place she felt wanted and safe, would have brought a mixture of warm emotions to her chest. But of course, these weren't normal circumstances. The warmth kind of drained from her the moment Garf- Beast Boy came up, as it usually did in these circumstances.

"But…," Happy started, as if unsure of how to continue as her fingers began poking at themselves. "… I am Happy. I really am. But, is there a reason I can't be more so? I want _him_ home._ We_ want him home."

Raven smiled somewhat sadly. "We can't afford to waste the happiness we are granted, and having children to call my own is more than I ever hoped for," she answered logically, feeling somewhat bad when Happy barely nodded. "You need to accept that we won't find him."

Happy sniffed a little, as Brave stepped forward rather briskly. "Then why are you still looking?" she asked somewhat angrily, before she wrapped her leaf-green cloak around Happy, spiriting them back to Raven's own mind in a swirl of dark energies.

Raven's head bowed somewhat in resignation. She honestly didn't know why she couldn't let go; why a small part of her couldn't stop searching. It had been four months. One-third of a year. It was early November, and if there was one thing Raven was tired of doing, it was holding out whatever Hope she had just to have it dashed. No! Hope had finally had her day when Raven got the news that she could bring her kids to the Tower. If she hadn't restrained her emotions, the Tower might have flown through space on her powers alone; she had cried so hard, both out of relief and joy, something she could never remember experiencing so wholly. What had been renewed of her that day, Raven wasn't about to expend again on searching for the changeling. Not again.

"Wait! Did they just leave me?" Rude asked, before the sound of a shovel being thrown on a rock echoed up to the surface. "Those bastards! Oh, leave it to Rude! She'll keep looking! It's not like she has anything better to do, because there's no one to get snippy with! No snide comebacks! No insults hurled! It's _fucking_ bullshit!" There was a resounding kick and what Raven assumed was the shovel smacking into another wall.

Raven just shook her head, any attempts to relax forgotten as she went to sit down under a conjured maple tree, a gentle red-cast light alighting on her face through the foliage above. It was so peaceful. But it was empty. Devoid of life except all that Raven recognized as her own contributions; namely the growing number of four-eyed ravens that embodied her mental barriers, their blackened plumage ruffling as they watched through the treetops and across the skies as she looked at them. Yes, it was lonely there, devoid of its brighter half as far as she could tell.

A sniff caught her attention as Raven looked at the hole, the sound echoing up from below. "I miss that _idiot_," Rude said dejectedly, and even though Raven couldn't see her, she could tell that the emoticlone was sitting in her dugout tunnel, hugging her knees.

"I do too."

* * *

Raven emerged from the mental plane a few hours later, barely rested over that course of time, especially now that she could hear the drone of the ship engine's high-pitched whine piercing through her ears painfully as she attempted to dull it out. It wouldn't be silenced, forcing her to remain awake for now.

With little else to do besides wait, she checked her coordinates and destination on her portion of the T-ship's GPS function. She was currently just above the equator, over the northern Republic of Columbia, and heading further south than she had been in a long time. Her destination: a small cluster of blips marking the Honorary Titans' location via the transmitters in their communicators; in the western-center part of the Amazonian Rainforest Basin. As far as terrain went, it was near one of the Amazon River's feeding tributaries, amidst a small, isolated portion of long since deforested area, but close enough to the Brazilian-Peruvian border that Raven wasn't sure who held jurisdiction in this particular case. From what little she could gather, chances were that some of the cleared area was being used as a temporary setup for the Honorary Titans and perhaps local powers, but without a full debriefing, she couldn't very well make an exact deduction… at least until she got there. The ship calculated her ETA at around fifty to sixty minutes of uninterrupted flying given its current speed, so it wouldn't be much longer now.

To focus, she reached beyond the gemmed clasp of her cloak and underneath the collar of her recently altered uniform, pulling out a small sheer pouch that she had stringed loosely around her neck. She took a soft inhale from the scented item, the light fabric half-filled with a special blend of herbs and spices she had concocted herself. The effect was immediate as her sense of smell immediately became overwhelmed, but not in a bad way; her other senses dulling as her nose took the brunt of sensory. Her mind cleared, allowing her a moment of ease from the enhanced bestial senses she had dealt with for the past four months.

Four months? It seemed like a lifetime ago. She half-wondered if anything had stayed the same in that time. She certainly hadn't. Her body undergone a metamorphosis thanks to her… cellular merging… with the changeling, giving her an array of unique physical characteristics that improved her overall fitness and ability. It may have also helped that she had been training as often as she could at the Tower, if only to tame the otherwise random bursts of perception from her unruly senses.

And during that time, her perspectives had also changed somewhat, though, not in a bad way. Her attire for one. The idea of being a prospective mother, adoptive or otherwise – in addition to the stark and brake-stomping realization that she was eighteen years old – allowed a certain new level of maturity to leak into the empath's tastes. Since Cyborg was still mooching funds from the Justice League for all his little projects (cheap skate much?), she had asked if it was too late to make alterations to her uniform.

Gone was the leotard, which, now that she thought about it, was hardly suited for an adult who was as self-conscious and modest as she was. Despite thinking otherwise, her body had matured, and it made her aware of just how exposed her pale legs were despite often being shrouded behind the length of her cloak. If nothing else besides her insecurities, she wanted to be a relatively good example for her kids. Azar forbid, there were already enough teenagers, young adults, and full-fledged adults(!) that showed off their assets, legs and bust alike. She wasn't about to be one of them. Luckily, Cyborg had a design in mind, substituting her leotards for a variation of his nano-mesh (as a special feature, he had altered it to come in midnight blue, much to her appreciation) that – unlike Nightwing's – was two pieces, and allowed a little more breathing room. She wasn't about ready to wear something as stuffy as a one-piece full-body suit. That would be uncomfortable. Plus the nano-mesh pants allowed her to wear her pajama sweats underneath when she wanted. Easy on, easy off. Comfort in the blink of an eye. It was surprising she hadn't thought to incorporate something like this _years_ ago.

She gently pinched the arm of her newer costume, her fingers exposed except for the portion that covered her hands, held in place by loops secured fast around each of her middle fingers. She had made custom alterations herself where she could, including inlaying the gems from her older costume into the back of her hands. The mesh was surprisingly breathable and light, and even felt cooler despite the heat-absorbing properties darker material usually possessed. Cyborg had even claimed her suits design allowed it to breathe easier. And to her appreciation, it would be able to take a great deal of abuse. If a fight became too dangerous, she was happy for the added protection her leotard didn't provide; she wanted to come home _every_ day to her kids, safe and sound.

To round it off, her boots had also been replaced with more combat appropriate titanium-toed shin-highs that strapped together well enough (thankfully with minimal heel only appropriate to the all-terrain treads on the bottom; she detested heels); even though she spent most of her time floating or flying, they were surprising light-weight when she did walk, and when tested, had the flexibility of a running shoe. Cyborg had really outdone himself on the design and function. Maybe they could call them "Air-Cy's"? Start his own shoe brand? Begin marketing ASAP?

She had also kept her gemmed belt and her cloak from the older costume: the belt mostly for the utility it provided, and the "aesthetic look" as Starfire had called it; and the cloak she kept for nostalgia's sake. She didn't exactly feel like "Raven" without its bird-like hood shadowing the upper half of her face, or without the almost entrancing billow it produced when her powers came into play. It was also one of her only reminders of Azarath, leaving her feeling almost naked without it to wrap protectively around her, empty though this comfort was.

But that left another problem. The nano-mesh was expensive to make and killer on the dry-cleaning bill, according to Cyborg, so it wasn't like she could get a whole wardrobe's worth, and she wasn't about to stew in her uniform twenty-four-seven like Nightwing was prone to do. That was just… Nope. Which meant she had bought lounge clothing. Despite Starfire's rather boisterously "loud" joy over her wedding, she had been thrilled to hear that Raven was "doing the shopping for the civilian's attire" and had proceeded to assist. Simple non-printed t-shirts (preferably on the darker end of the spectrum), dark hoodie's, and jeans that didn't make her waist feel like she was crushing her intestines. Despite Starfire's rather bright suggestions (Again, pink. Never mind the sunshine yellow. Ugh!), Raven kept it simple and comfortable; enough so, that she could switch to her uniform quickly should the need arise. Plus, those hoodies were surprisingly comfortable, like a wearable blanket of warmth.

She smiled slightly before frowning in thought. She'd have to go shopping again for the kids. She wasn't without money by any means, and she had purchased a number of outfits for when they visited, so it wasn't like she was starting from scratch. She was frugal, spent very little on personal supplies of any kind, and had more than enough stashed away from the Titan's bi-weekly salary. But that left a whole lot of things she hadn't quite thought about before. She'd been so excited by the prospect of getting to bring her kids home, she hadn't even thought to fully prepare for it.

Her head smacked against the console in frustration, getting a _BEEP!_ of negativity in response from the machine. "Azar Almighty," she growled to herself. "Bedding, furniture, toys, books, food! Way to drop the ball, Raven," she commented bitterly to herself. There was still time if she could finish her assignment fast enough, but it didn't make her feel any better. She hadn't even brought them home, and already she felt like she was failing. She subconsciously had Knowledge write out a list and take note of the stuff that needed buying. But… what did kids even like?

Feeling more than a little disappointed with herself, she pulled out a book she had brought along for the ride. The title "_First-Time Parenting for Absolute Nitwits_" starred up at her as she flipped to where her bookmark sat on the first page, waiting to be utilized. A purchase she had bought on impulse in the hopes it would be informative, and make the trip pass faster. While she knew no amount of reading could make up for an iota of actual experience, it never hurt to at least have scenarios to fall back on. On second thought, she was glad Garfield had taken an extended "vacation". She didn't want to know if she could deal with his teasing at her recent literary choices… if he wasn't her one-man cheer section. That thought left her cheeks tinged pink; probably from how annoying she imagined it would be. She quickly shook her head and returned her attention forward.

An hour later, and having covered as much wordage as she dared, she was half tempted to throw the book into the Fifth Circle of Dante's Inferno out of spite. Instead, it ended up thrown onto the floor of her cockpit.

_'Stupid waste of cranial space!'_ she thought, her hands clutching her head in disbelief and frustration, frazzling the crown of her hair. _'I haven't even started and _I'm_ an absolute failure?!'_ She heard an explosion outside, the ship riding the turbulence as she turned just in time to see a black-encompassed roasted goose carcass flying by. Its brethren were in a squawk about what had happened, honking wildly.

She turned her eyes back to the console, pretending she hadn't seen anything as she sighed.

_'Who in the name of Azar do they think they are?!'_ Rage demanded.

_'It's not like I'm trying to be a bad mom,'_ Timid cried.

_'I'll learn how to 'Mom' without your stupid book!'_ Passion snapped.

_'Mmhmm-hmm!'_ Suffering huffed mouthlessly through her nose.

_'You won't know until you try, sweetie,'_ she heard Temperance reassure.

Raven hated it already. Never mind her forgetting some crucial thought-processes before the kids arrived, or the fact that her powers were fueled by emotions; the book had so many points on what a "good" mother was, and she was pretty sure that if the author had met her, they would have died from a heart attack... or called some form of federal authority. It was like it was written specifically to make her doubt her capabilities in every capacity. No matter how strong she thought her good points were, they were turned around into a "good-is-worst-case" scenario.

She picked up the book again, looking at the publisher and the forward, something she hadn't thought to do before-hand. Evidently some tenth-rate, wannabe famous company, written by an idiot who barely got their Masters in parenting services… who wasn't a parent themselves?! And evidently with a pensive against honest-to-Azar parents-in-training. The only nitwit here was her… for buying the book in the first place. She should have listened to her conscience when she saw it on the "Discount" shelf.

Her powers enveloped the book as it disintegrated into atoms, too offensive to even leave behind the ashes to infect something else with its nimrodery.

"I hate to be the voice of reason, but who the Hells can lecture on parenting when they haven't even been a parent?" she wondered aloud to herself. "It's like listening to a marriage counselor who hasn't been married. Or a theoretic's sorcerer who's never cast a spell." She shook her head at what society was coming to. Just because someone had their degree and 'X' amount of study-time or credits in the subject, it didn't make them an expert. That would come with time and lots of trial and error. That's why it was called _experience_.

_'A couple tabs on the internet, a book, and a YouTube video, and people get to call themselves experts? 'Cause everybody's a fucking expert,'_ Envy growled. _'Must be fucking nice!'_

_'Are we there yet?'_ Knowledge moaned miserably, _'Listening to ourselves is giving me a headache.'_

_'Just shut them up!'_ Rude snapped, her eyes twitching.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven chanted forcefully, attempting to clear her mind as goose number-two took a toasty swan dive. She took a deep breath again as she attempted to calm down. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

She rubbed her temples for a short time, then followed with the bridge of her nose. Azar. Her entire emotional spectrum was giving her a headache. Ironically, it was Happy that remained quiet, Happily kicking her legs as she hummed to herself, not caring about anything except being a mom. At least one of her emotions had their head on straight, even if she was one of her more annoying ones.

The sound of communications warbling alerted Raven that someone was trying to contact her via transmission, interrupting her chaotic state of mind. _"_Esta é a Polícia Brasileira, informe seu negócio_."_

"Um," Raven said with some confusion, looking over the screen to see if it came with subtitles. Of course, Cyborg didn't install a translation feature. She'd have to talk to him about that. "_No hablo español?_" she muttered weakly, unsure of what she was supposed to say.

_"_Você acha que isso é uma piada?_"_ the reply came back, somewhat angrily. _"_Indique seu propósito._"_

She growled in frustration. "I don't know what you're saying. I'm looking for the Titans Pantha, Mas, and Menos."

She suddenly heard a loud crashing sound on the other end of the transmission, followed by a large bought of electrical static. _"_¿Hola?"

"Hello?" she answered back.

_"_Ahhhh, Señorita Raven, es muy bueno saber de usted. Pensamos que te habías perdido._"_

"Um-?" she responded, with a twitching eyebrow.

A loud _Whack!_ echoed through communications. _"_¡Idiota! ¡Ella no te entiende!_"_ another voice exclaimed somewhat distantly, but rapidly.

_"_Owww!_"_ Sounds of bickering and fighting erupted on the other side of the broadcast, all of which was in another language that Raven couldn't understand. She was more fluent in dead languages than those that were still commonly used, but still, whoever was arguing was about to drive her up a wall... and she was already a few thousand feet in the air.

_"_¡Silencio!_"_ someone shouted from the other end, followed by that same someone taking the device in question. The screen suddenly opened in static as a face began to appear on the dashboard of her console. _"Hello? Are you there?"_

_'Finally,'_ Raven thought in relief. "Hi Pantha, how was your day?"

_"_Lleno de mierda_,"_ she answered before the professional wrestling hero cleared her throat. _"It could have been worse. We're just glad we finally got you into full communication range."_ A series of shouts of protest erupted on the other end, to which Pantha turned to respond angrily in Spanish, her tone clearly showing that "could have been worse" was grating on her nerves as much as it was Raven's. _"Apologies, Raven. Trying to get anything done around here is like wrestling a pen of _toros_. Add in the local _policía_ wanting to take point, and I am up to my neck in _estúpida_."_

Raven didn't need to know Spanish to understand _that_. Somehow, it reminded her of her yelling at the changeling… a lot of things reminded her of him recently.

"I can sympathize," the sorceress answered with a small smile.

_"Ah, never mind. You'll get to experience it soon enough,"_ Pantha dismissed with light chuckle. _"I have you cleared for landing. _Te veo pronto_."_ And the screen went black.

Raven breathed out as that statement was soon proven true. Following her decent, she could see the green jungle below opened up into an empty blotch of land next to the river, the exposed dirt leaving a reddish-brown tint, the toppled trees and their stumps long since removed. Around that, was a thin edge of brown and grey area, where the trees and stumps still lay, having yet to be cleared. Within the red boundary, Raven could see the whites and cream- colors of numerous erected tents, and even the large space provided for chopper landings, painted as it was with a large white encircled "H". It was currently occupied by a pair of helicopters. The only other viewable occupants from that height were an unknown number of water tanks, stations, and large industrial dozers and equipment that Raven couldn't have named even if she wanted to. The majority of the complex was likewise surrounded by chain-link fencing. She felt her nose crease slightly at the sight of whole thing, though it escaped her as to why.

She turned off the auto-pilot as she passed overhead, slowing down significantly before engaging the bottom jets, allowing her to hover into place. Within a couple minutes, the ship was lowering to the ground several yards from the choppers, the landing gear's shocks _hiss_ing slightly from its own weight as it touched down before settling. Her fingers worked autonomously, checking the end-flight systems before powering down the engine and ensuring the air compression was balanced to the outside; all was clear on her vehicle before she removed the activation key.

The hatch opened, allowing her to breathe in the surprisingly dry, but heavy air. The sun was bright enough and almost centered on its decent across the sky, though she supposed it was because she was so close to the equator. Feeling somewhat Brave, she jumped down, her powers levitating her just centimeters before she touched the ground. The dust below her feet swirled in response.

With a swish of her activation key, she pressed a button, the T-ship's right thruster-wing _Chirp-Chirp!_ing loudly before she put the key on the same sturdy tie as the bag around her neck.

She felt it before she saw it, a black field of energy surrounding her as two objects smacked headlong into it, followed by a vacuum of dust and debris that whipped up behind them. She retracted her power, revealing the two Guatemalan twins sliding to the ground with _Oof!_s. Within a moment they were back on their feet, looking as chipper as though they hadn't just smashed into her shield.

Mas and Menos. Since the last time Raven had seen them, the twin speedsters had grown, now fifteen years old if memory served her correctly. But they were still fairly short.

"_¡Bienvenido, Señorita!_" they exclaimed boisterously, their hands coming together quickly as they disappeared, zooming over to Raven's side.

"_Ah! Ella ha cambiado su uniforme_," Mas commented, standing atop his brother's shoulders as he pulled Raven's cloak slightly to the side.

"_Es apropiado, ¿no?_" Menos said back, having snatched one of Raven's arms, gazing at it intently.

"_¿Qué piensas?_" Mas asked, as they reappeared on Raven's other side, the Plus-emblemed twin poking at Raven's face from her shoulder while Menos laying on his belly, staring at Raven's boots.

"_Mmmh, Ella se ve muy caliente,_" Menos answered after a moment, standing with a pleased look on his face.

"_¿En serio?_" Mas exclaimed, ceasing his poking as he looked at his brother. _"¿Qué le pasó a tu amor por Starfire?_"

Menos puffed out his chest, smirking at his brother. _"¿No has oído? Ella está comprometida con Robin._" He turned and gestured with his head to the sorceress. "_Raven, ella es soltera. Puedes seguir desmayándose después de Starfire. ¿O sólo tienes ojos para María?_"

"_¡Tu cabrón!_" his brother fumed angrily.

"_Tus padres son mis padres,_" Menos shot back, just as Mas jumped down on him. They began fighting at accelerated speed, churning up dirt and dust as Raven looked at them in confusion, not understanding a word they had said.

"_Oi!_" Two solid fists came down at once, bonking both twins roughly on the head as they were forced to a standstill by their matching twin bumps. "_Comportarse. Tenemos un invitado,_" Pantha scolded, lifting up a tensed hand in demonstration as her palm began to mirage from heat. "_¿O preferirías enfrentarte a la garra de la pantera?_"

Both twins straightened suddenly in fear, hugging each other with forced smiles as they looked at her. "_No no, somos buenos_," Menos stated quickly.

"_Ver. Somos grandes amigos_," Mas agreed.

"Um, what were they saying?" Raven asked, one eyebrow raised in confusion.

Pantha just smirked. "They were wondering why they are still single." The eyes of both twins were twitching in irritation, but neither had the courage to speak up, least they face the wrath of the Panther's Claw. The heroine just turned to walk away, gesturing Raven to follow with her chin. "Come. There is plenty to discuss."

Raven nodded as she followed, leaving the twins to stare after the both of them.

"_Pantha da miedo_," Mas muttered weakly.

Menos nodded with a weak cry. "_Sí_."

…

Raven didn't think there would be so few people mulling about, despite the fact there was so many tents set up. Most of them appeared to be dressed for operating equipment, complete with neon hard hats and reflector vests; but none of the equipment was running. Every now and then, she saw what she assumed was a local police officer judging by the uniforms they wore… if there was anything local about the Amazon _Rainforest_. If she was cautious about it, she would catch small clusters of workers watching them, or whispering under their breaths. Even when her sporadic hearing caught broken bits of conversation, none of it was legible to her.

"So what's going on?" she asked Pantha. "All these people. And they're just staring. And why is none of equipment running?"

Pantha's gait didn't slow down, as she continued to pass tent after tent. "Land development, for whatever reason."

"So far into the Amazon?" Raven asked with a raised eyebrow, her nose cringing in distaste at her surroundings. She didn't know why, but she found something about it disgusting. "That seems legitimate," she continued with her usual lip.

"I don't claim to understand their line of thinking," Pantha answered indifferently. "But over the past couple weeks, there has been some unexplained incidences. The animals have been very… how should I say? Bold."

"Bold?"

"At first, we thought it was just in Mexico," she stated. "Then we hear Wildebeest and Hotspot are experiencing the same thing in Africa, and Tempest in the oceans. Just agitated wildlife for whatever reason. Then we hear that there are more direct interactions down here."

"How bad is it?" Raven asked.

"Surprisingly, no fatalities. In other parts of the world, agitated animals mean more likely to get mauled if harassed or threatened. Here, the worst that has happened is the jaguar that tackled a man out of one of the bulldozers. More hands-on, yes; but no fatalities."

"Sounds interesting," Raven said with somewhat of a false muster of intrigue.

"Tell that to the man who got tackled," Pantha mused. "Dislocated his shoulder when he hit the ground. Between the increased presence of insects, harassment from the wildlife, and all the restless sleep from the jungle chattering, it was bad. Then the animals started coming into the camps." She gestured toward the fencing. "The fence keeps out most animals, but then no one could leave without something presumedly dangerous making its presence known. Even the birds have taken to openly pestering people." She looked up as if expecting said birds to drop out of the sky. Nothing yet. "It's all pretty random, but now no one wants to risk the work. We were called in after law enforcement tried dealing with it like a bunch of _idiotas con cerebro de lana_."

Raven looked at Pantha with some irritation. "Then why call _me_ in?"

Pantha turned a corner, walking toward the largest tent Raven had seen so far. The outside had large totes, antennae setups, and even stacks of draped crates that couldn't be seen under. Almost like something one would expect to see on the outside of a mobile military establishment. She stopped at its door-flap, gesturing in. "We'll talk more inside."

Raven nodded slightly as she walked in, pushing the tent door aside, followed by the mosquito netting, as she did. The inside was surprisingly level, enough so that the much of the space could contain several filing cabinets without them tipping over. It appeared to have been intended as a sort of office, but currently, it was being utilized for… other means.

Large polymer cases were stacked against one side, with an equal number of what looked like old World-War Two magazine canisters. Enough advanced computer systems to make Cyborg drool had been set against another tent wall, including what appeared to be a movement detection screen ("radar" for lack of a better word), and remote access to what looked like a series of multi- visual trail cams, currently projecting multiple spectrum views of the same images of jungle.

In the center of the tent was a large collapsible table, its center piled with what looked like topographical maps and satellite imaging of the surrounding area, varies notes and large encircled areas marked with bright pen or marker, along with a series of X's crossed through some of them.

Around the table were four people Raven didn't recognize. One was a worker dressed in a hard hat with a reflector vest over his simple clothes, probably the foremen or lead for the other workers outside; shaking his head in rejection to whatever was being said as he tried explaining in… Spanish? Raven wasn't exactly sure what the primary language of Brazil was, even though they were near the Peruvian border… or was that vice versa? She had just stepped into the tent, and she was already confused.

Another was a well-dressed man in a suit and tie, his face set in frustration as he tried forcing his point across as he pointed at the map, raising his voice in his native language. Probably the owner or money behind whatever operation was being delayed.

The third was clearly not from the area. The leather fedora lined with animal teeth might have been the first indication. The dirty white t-shirt, multi-pocketed tan vest, thick hiking boots, and khaki shorts were another. He stood in measure and seemed to hold a military bearing as he carried an illegible conversation with the fourth and last person, neither of which were held up in the other two's shouting.

The final person was clearly a superhero. A black and blue exoskeletal suit covering his body from head to toe, two large, leg-like protrusions curling over his shoulders from his back.

Raven's empathy got the sense she had at least seen him before, but with the amass of anger radiating off of the well-dressed man and the uncompliant foreman, her chakra was giving her a headache, and the shouting wasn't helping her sensitive ears either. Slowly. Grating. On. Her…. Nerves.

Pantha stepped in, frowning at the display both women had walked into. "_Dios mío_," she exclaimed. "I am working with a bunch of idiots." She trudged angrily past Raven, slamming an open palm on the table, its legs trembling from the force of her blow, or perhaps more from inanimate fear.

The ensuing silence was deafening, the heroine taking advantage of their stunned state. "That's enough! I am gone for two minutes and you turn into a pack of dogs! _¡Actúa según tu edad!_" She took a quick second to collect herself before gesturing to the sorceress. "This is Raven of the Titans in Jump City. We've asked for her assistance today."

"I am not paying for yet another incompetent," the businessman declared in accented English. With his attention elsewhere, the foreman was quick to sneak away.

"Y'u'll do well ta remembuh ya dole bludger," the casually dressed military man countered, Raven noting his accent as Australian if her few encounters with Argent were any indication, "the only blokes yur payin' aw me and y'ur crews. The heroes aw here on tha house."

"The heroes are paid through government taxation," the businessman snapped back, "and I pay my taxes generously."

"I'm sure ya do," the Aussie countered suggestively. "F'nny 'ow this one's on American Dollar, not yur Brazilian Reals."

"If you weren't highly recommended-" The businessman left the rest unsaid.

"Can we all just calm down?" the black and blue hero asked weakly, a drop of nervous sweat almost visible on his neck. He turned when he remembered who was there. "Ah, so your Raven of the original Titans," he said, extending a hand in greeting. "We didn't get a chance to meet at the Watchtower."

"And you are?" Raven asked, returning the greeting. Her hand a few inches from his hand, the protrusions on his back quivered, a chittering sound arising from his suit; along with a wave of curiosity and unrelenting violence.

"No!" he shouted, his emotions rousing in terror and embarrassment. "She isn't a bad-guy, and you are not going to try vaporizing her!" He smiled weakly at her as his hand retreated, as if more afraid of his appendage rather than hers. "Sorry. Khaji Da is more about shoot-first, ask questions later kind of bug."

The suit growled in annoyance, followed by a short series of gurgles.

"Shut up!" he insisted under his breath.

"And this is Blue Beetle" Pantha introduced for them, purposefully avoiding his secret identity with civilians present. "And the mouthy bug suit he's named for is Khaji Da." As if to prove her point, the protrusions turned to her, quivering as it chittered.

Raven turned to the other two, who had been watching the interaction since Blue Beetle's outburst. "This is the owner of operations, Antonio Santos-Costa," Pantha continued, even as the businessman turned his nose up at them, clearly not liking the necessary affiliation. He turned back to his prior business, only to begin fuming when he realized the foreman wasn't there.

"And this is Clancy Martins," she said with a gesture to the Australian. "Game warden, expert trapper, and former Australian Special Forces."

"Pleasure," he greeted with a curt smile and nod, clearly measuring the significance her presence indicated. She nodded back.

"And-" A rush of wind and the flapping of the tent door announced their presence as two speeding Guatemalan's appeared suddenly at the table. "-You already know these two."

"_Saludos, Pájaro Hermoso_," Menos said with a gentle flourish, producing a bouquet of magnolias that he hastily held out to the sorceress. "_Para alguien tan encantador como tú, es lo menos que puedo hacer_."

"Podemos!" Mas corrected, rolling his eyes at his brother. "_Estás haciendo el ridículo_."

Raven looked down at the young speedster with one eyebrow cocked. While she should have felt flattered like most women, she _wasn't_ most women. Instead… "He does know I'm legally an adult, right?"

"Since when has age stopped either of them," Pantha pointed out, before turning to Menos. "_Guárdalo para cuando no estemos trabajando._" The flowers in his hand deflated with him as his gaze brushed the ground.

Raven conceded that point; remembering a time when both twins had attempted to flirt Starfire, who was five or so years older than them. Still, she did feel a little sorry for him, so it was better to clear thing up now, rather than encourage anything further, especially in the middle of a mission. "Thank you, but I'm not interested," she clarified, giving the younger speedster a small smile as he looked up at her. "I'm sure there's a girl who can appreciate your effort, but that girl isn't me. I'm sorry."

Menos nodded glumly in understanding. Mas put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "_La "decepción". Lo siento hermano_."

"If you "heroes" don't mind, sometime this year would be nice," the businessman growled. "Time is money, and I'm losing plenty of it."

Raven hid a smirk under her hood as the bug, Khaji Da, turned to him, giving off a series of insectoid noises that had Blue Beetle exclaim, "You can't call him that! Apologize!" The bug's chittering might as well have been laughing. Still, the owner did have a point.

"So, why was I called?" Raven asked, cutting straight to the point. "You all have a team set up here, so why did you need me? Nightwing said you asked for me specifically." The Aussie, Mister Clancy Martins, glanced at the other heroes. It appeared he was curious about this as well.

Pantha nodded as she walked up to the table. "I also asked for you because you are strong. Stronger than most of us Titans. The other reason I ask for you…." She tapped her forehead gently. "…is because of your sensory abilities. I felt it would speed up the search for whatever it was we were looking for.

"In addition, given the unknown nature of what we are potentially up against, your powers are a most welcome addition."

"Um, thanks," Raven replied, slightly unsure and in no way reassured.

"Now, Mister Martins," she gestured to the hunter, "has been observing the animal movements and patterns via tracking and trail cams."

"It's rather limited as far as the range it can cover," he explained, taking the floor… or table. "'Owever, the wildlife duh'n't seem to leave the area, so that leaves us with just the local population.

"Make no mistake, th'eh still animals of course. The food chain still applies, an' there's no sign of inter-species cooperation, but there's undoubtedly single-targeted aggression behind it." He looked down at the map his finger taping along the table edge. "If it was isolated to here alone, I'd say something bigg'uh and badd'uh had settled in. 'Appens sometimes when the predator population grows too large, but it's wo'ld-wide, in multiple ecosystems. The only thing that makes this place unique, is the beasties are more active, but there 'ave been no human fatalities here. Somethin' is keepin' 'em in line."

Pantha looked back to Raven as he finished. "Local governments tried taking care of the matter, but the animals retaliated just as quickly. Again, multiple wounded, but no fatalities. I honestly can't think of a position where your abilities wouldn't be useful here. We're asked to deal with the local wildlife, or whatever is rousing them. The goal is to find the source of the problem if possible. If that fails, then we are to assist Mister Martins with relocating what animals we can to minimize the risk involved to the workers."

At least it made some sense. Raven pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to think. Their logic was flawed to a degree. "And what then?" They all looked at her in confusion. "_If_ what you're saying is correct, then removing the problem doesn't solve the issue. It just means that the animals will continue to be agitated. _Without_ whatever has kept them from killing. And it certainly doesn't solve any of the similar problems in other countries."

"We were only asked to assist locally," Pantha stated simply. "We cannot impose where we are not wanted."

Raven understood that better than anyone, even if she didn't like it. "And relocating the animals, how does that work?"

"That's where your job ends, and mine continues," the hunter stated gesturing to the stack of polymer crates and ammo boxes. "Go' enough tranquilizer to knock out half the Serengeti. I'll relocate as many as get near the camp."

"And if there isn't something tangible "restraining" the animals like you suggested?" Raven asked.

"It's abnormal from any understanding I 'ave as is," he admitted. "Animals don't usually act like this in the first place. Add in the anomaly here, and its outside ma field of expertise completely. Whole thing is sketchy. But a job is a job. No' abou'ta staw't a walkin' an' turnin'."

"Since you all are _finally_ getting to work," the businessman exasperated, pulling a cellphone from his jacket pocket, "I have business to attend to." With a smooth motion that suggested practiced use, he walked, typed in a number, and slid the phone to his ear all in one smooth motion that had Raven slightly confused as to how someone spent so much time on an electronic device that it was second-natu… never mind. She'd seen the Titan males spend ungodly amounts of time on their stupid video games. Cyborg knew most of the Rocket Racer race tracks by heart (or computerized brain); he could probably play them with his eyes closed.

His absence was a breath of fresh, rainforest-y air for all present.

"_Dios, lo odio_," Mas stated.

"_Convenido_," Meno affirmed. " _Gilipollas completo_."

Raven didn't understand what they said, but she had the feeling she would agree. The tension in the air visibly decreased with only the heroes and the trapper left present.

"It'll be dark soon enough," Martins stated. "I'll check the cam's before noddin' off. Ya'll try an' get some shut-eye. It'll be a long day tomorrow." He turned to Pantha. "When yur done getting the miss settl'd in, I'd like to finalize the teams and the sweeps we'll be sendin' out before I break out the swag. Jus' make sure ya close the netting so the mozzie's don't get in."

"Sounds good," Pantha agreed, nodding to the other heroes. "You heard him: off to bed."

The twins grumbled in Spanish while Blue Bettle stretched, insect-like wings flexing off his back, flickering as a yawn came to his mouth. "I'm down. Sweet dreams guys." And they left the tent.

Pantha beckoned to Raven. "Come with me." And she followed after them.

As Raven shadowed her, she noticed how far the sun had sunk when she exited the tent. All around, the workers were lighting lanterns or turning on electric-powered construction lights in preparation for the coming night. Pantha lead her only a few tents away before she gestured toward one of them. "This is your tent. If you need anything, just ask."

Before she could walk back to the "command center", Raven spoke up. "What do you think is really causing this?"

Pantha just shook her head in resignation. "I do not know. Whatever it is, I hope it does not last long. Cross-continental migrations and additional aggression could be warning signs of something. But of what, I could not tell you. It only started a couple months ago, so who knows.

"If you believe all the panic and gossip, the world is supposed to end soon. No meteors in the skies, eminent ice ages, or sudden global warming to prove it though. It could almost make one wonder. But without probable evidence, my guess is as good as anyone's."

Raven gave her a small smile at that. "I've already seen the world's End, so I doubt it will happen anytime soon."

Pantha just smiled back, not quite getting the private joke. "Goodnight, Raven. Pleasant dreams."

Watching after her for a moment, Raven eventually turned back toward the tent that was to be her temporary quarters. Passing through the canvas opening and the mosquito netting, she was greeted by a simple setup, the floor made up of a laid tarp with a single cot's feet facing the entry, a small rolled bundle she assumed was a sleeping bag laid at the head. The floor was relatively clean, the air inside somewhat warm for her tastes, but dry none-the-less. And maybe a little stuffy.

She went to the cot, laying down without delay as she looked up at the tent's ridge pole, supported by the rafters at either end. She wasn't necessarily tired, but she felt exhausted all the same. Gingerly, she pulled out the bag from around her neck, inhaling deeply from its contents as she tried to find some semblance of peace of mind as her ship's activation key brushed lightly against her hand. Her ears ticked this way and that at every footstep, catching how the dust seemed to glide through the soft air. Her eyes beheld the dusking light through the tent cover with a mixture of longing and contempt; her gaze drawing in even the most remote of light particles.

Even with the impending mission at hand, her mind was elsewhere, thinking on things she wished she had thought about sooner. If she was serious about this "Mom" business, she couldn't afford too many mistakes. She couldn't let her kids down. She couldn't- She swallowed bitterly.

_'I can't be like my parents,_' she thought, knowing that what constituted a family wasn't determined by blood or relation. Her team had more than proven that.

She pulled her communicator, tracing the emblazoned "T" slightly with her small pale fingers. Flipping it open, she gave the screens dark reflection of her a small smile.

_'You got this,'_ she thought, exhaling the stress from her body as she found a somewhat relaxed position to ease into. She dialed the number she wanted with the fluid practice she'd complained about earlier, trying to let the stoic muscles of her face relax as the tone rang.

_"Hello?"_ a voice answered from the other end, bright blue eyes and blonde braids appearing on the screen.

Raven felt a hum in her chest as her lips formed a smile, her eyes sparkling slightly. "Hey sweetie," she replied in a small gravelly voice that reflected the depths of her affection.

A gasp on the other end made her smile more. _"Raven!"_ Melvin called from the other end, the little girl disappearing for a moment. _"Timmy! Tyler! Raven's calling!"_

_"Waaaaveeen!"_ She could hear the loud stomping as Tyler ran uncoordinated toward Melvin.

Her three kids appeared on the screen as she propped herself up with her elbow. "How are you guys?"

_"We're good,"_ Timmy smiled, little dimples pronouncing his freckled cheeks. _"We made honey cakes."_

_"The monks taught us,"_ Melvin explained, trying to lift Tyler with both hands so she could see them all.

_"Yummy!"_ Tyler growled, exposing his teeth in a grin.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," she replied simply, feeling slightly anxious, but still elated in the Happiness she felt. "Soooo… I have some news."

The kids seemed to falter in synch, as if expecting the "news" in question to be bad. _"What newthhh?"_ Tyler asked, his blue eyes wide in curiosity.

"Well…," she began, licking her lips to keep them from chapping; especially now that her breathing had unconsciously increased. "… I wanted to let you guys know when it was confirmed… but I applied… to…." Azar, this was harder than she had ever imagined it would be! She couldn't help it. She could only stare into the expectant eyes of her kids, and wonder if they found her wanting. If she wasn't good enough to call them her own. A part of her knew this to be a debased and damnable lie!

But it was still there, hounding at her, crushing at her chest with every unfiltered blink of love.

"I applied to become your legal guardian," she finally pushed out, her tone unconsciously turning stiff and business-like before she cursed herself mentally. Opting for a clearer meaning, she tried again, "I applied to adopt you guys. _All_ of you."

_"Wait, so you're going to be our new mommy?"_ Melvin stated, looking at her curiously, as if wanting direct confirmation for herself.

_"What's "adopt"?"_ Timmy asked, his brows narrowing his eyes in his confusion.

_"Ith Waven mama?"_ Tyler asked, shoving his head in front of the screen, his eyes and nose taking up most of the camera. _"Hiiiiya Mama Waven."_

Raven's attempt to smile faltered a little, hesitant. "Is that okay?" she asked, nervousness evident in her voice. "I wanted it to be a surprise, but only if you guys want to."

Raven wasn't as worried about the younger two, her boys. They had been relatively young when their parents had passed. No. Her main worry was Melvin's somewhat downcast gaze. She would have been old enough to recall her biological parents, at least vaguely. Raven didn't want her to think that she was attempting to replace them, because the truth was: she couldn't. It wasn't about being a replacement, but about providing them with the love that they deserved to the best of her ability in the absence of those that would have been around to provide it.

She had only half-anticipated Tyler's quick acceptance of her; as far as she knew, she was the closest he'd ever known to a mother… and that was a sad thought in and of itself to her. Timmy might come to accept her as a parent eventually, but mostly, he'd just need help understanding the "legal guardian" and "adopted" aspect of the arrangement. That still left Melvin, who had more-or-less assumed to roll of their protector, and by extension, Bobby.

_"Where will we live?"_ Melvin asked gently.

Raven was glad it was an easy question with an equally easy answer. "At the Tower," she answered calmly. "You'll be living with me, Aunt Starfire, Nightwing, and Uncle Cy." _'And Beast Boy,'_ she added silently. "Would you like that?"

Melvin turned to her siblings in question, a silent discussion seeming to pass between her and them. After what felt like minutes to Raven, though it may have only been a few seconds, they finally seemed to settle on an answer.

_"When we move?"_ Timmy asked, jumping the gun impatiently, earning him a glare from Melvin, who had just opened her mouth to talk. Absently, the nine-year-old girl nodded her support of the question.

"A week. Maybe two," Raven answered with a smile. "Someone should be stopping by to pick you up so they can escort you State-side. They won't let me pick you up directly, so I'll see you then."

_"Yay!"_ Tyler clapped, and already, Raven was smiling at the approval.

"I'll see you guys soon," the sorceress offered, relief holding itself in check. "I… I hope you'll be happy with us, and… well… welcome to our dysfunctional little family."

_"You promise?"_ Melvin's simple prompt felt like the world, and her question, was suddenly loaded with uncertainty. Her bright blue eyes were asking so many questions, most of which Raven knew on instinct were above assurances. Because, since when did life, especially her life, have guarantees?

_'You promise – to always be there? To always love us no matter what? To always show us affection? To always protect us? To always listen? To always be patient? To live? To never die? To never leave us alone?'_

"I can't make all the promises you want, Melvin," she said in a small voice, knowing that some promises would be easier than others. She would always love them, and she would do her best to convey that love despite her plentiful assortment of short comings. But to give them everything they could ever need to the utmost perfection? A lofty goal, one that she would inevitably fall short on. "I'll try my best. That much I can promise, but I'm still a hero, sweetie. That means my life will always be dedicated to protect others… and to protecting you guys."

There were things left unspoken as Melvin nodded solemnly, small tears forming at the corners of her eyes. Only a moment later, she wiped her forearm across her eyes with a snotty inhale as she cleared her nose, moving her arm to give Raven her best smile… a smile reminiscent of their missing changeling. _"Okay."_

"I'll call you guys later," Raven said, soaking in as much detail of their faces as she could, fully aware that she would see them again, but never wasting a moment to the contrary. "I need to get some sleep for my assignment tomorrow."

_"Ba-bye Waven!" "Byyyyyeeee!" "Bye."_ And just as quickly, the call ended, leaving Raven to stare at her own reflection in contemplation before she nestled the communicator back into her belt.

She rolled over, letting her neck rest against the rolled-up sleeping bag as she settled into her cot. Her musings began almost instantly, her brow furrowing when her eyes closed.

_'Melvin.'_

Her reaction scared her the most, the little girl in the screen easily able to disguise how scared she was. While she was nowhere near the pro that Beast Boy was, Raven couldn't help but despise the reaction. It was clear the little girl held some memory of what had happened to her parents; a fate Raven herself was still unaware of and didn't have the heart to dredge up. And now Melvin feared losing her too, of that Raven was certain.

She couldn't make all those promises to her… her daughter. But she'd do her best to keep them anyway. She had no intention of up and dying any time soon, and would do her best to see that she got to see all of them grow up.

It was with that thought that Raven rolled over, yawning slightly as weariness finally had its say. The lanterns aglow outside her tent cast strange shadows through the canvas, but those shadows pulled toward the half-demon, tucking her further in as she allowed her mind to drift. She gently chose a focal point for her senses as she began to lose consciousness, her ears drawing in as they pulled in the sounds of the surrounding rainforest, allowing the chaotic melodies of the not-so-distant jungle to lull her to sleep.

* * *

_She opened her eyes, half expecting the world to be lit with the rising sun, greeting her with a new day; however, the darkness pressed around her: cold, blank, unintrusive, and comforting. While her eyes "opened", she felt as though they were closed as well, her breathing gentle and measured, as though asleep…._

_…Which she supposed she was; but it wasn't her breaths that expanded her lungs. They were too deep. To hoarse. To guttural._

_She sniffed, turning over lazily to get more comfortable, attempting to ignore the feeling of the strangely flat, hard ground beneath her as she exhaled, grumbling with another inhale…_

_…_snn_…_

_…_snn_…_

_Her eyes bolted, truly open this time as the dark instantly retreating as the rapid expansion of her pupils pulsed almost achingly in her sockets, revealing a deluded world of strangely muted colors. That …_snn_… smell. A growl exited her mouth as she pushed up, realizing that the reason for the unnaturally flat ground was because it was man-made. Concrete maybe?_

_She sniffed again, this time drawing it out carefully, as if slowly sorting through a multitude of olfactory stimuli that she couldn't quite seem to get a grasp of, much less understand. But just there… on the stale air, a touch of something unperceivable that was lost in translation to her. But not to _him_._

_She touched down on all fours, melting and reforming in an instant. The movements were too quick for her to comprehend, a blur of unfamiliar color and sight giving way to black and pointed lights. The sky. She was outside… falling?_

_No! Flying with gravity, the ground approaching far too quickly for her comfort before she flipped over feet-first, a heave from her arms jerking her back up before paws roughly hit the rocky ground, and she resumed running._

_The landscape was passing swiftly, the strange rock formations and dry crags fading into a dense of damp blackness that was the all-encompassing forest, the night creating walls of petrified ink where the trees stood, almost giving the darkness a physical touch. But she never crashed into the dark, pulled this way and that by the quick movements that seemed too close for comfort but didn't slow down even a breath as she crossed the blackened void. Every step, leap, bound, grab, and swing that should have left her falling was supported by the seeming Nothing._

_This form she felt strain, it was strange, almost fluidly changing and yet solidly held as it navigated, focusing on one thing, and one thing only… a scent that she still couldn't comprehend. With the abysmal state of her surroundings, minutes could have passed as easily as hours, and that meant nothing, her focus somehow unerringly guided and grounded._

_It was only as the peak of light touched overhead, a darkened blue of the earliest mornings that just barely revealed the canopy of leaves, an outline of branches scarcely visible otherwise, but still guided by some intrinsic sense of direction and space that prevent collision with anything. A growl tickled her throat and her ears rotated. A nocturnal sense of herself seemed to curse as the need to sleep began to assert itself, only to be overridden by the diurnal's counter-cursing that it was time to wake up; the switch confusing her as the lethargic call of sleep was suddenly infused with a new sense of power and energy._

_…_snn_…_

_Whatever compelled her, it was close. Very close now. She still couldn't perceive what it was she sought, but she felt it all the same._

_With a series of timed, downward jumps between two blackened "walls", she felt the firm, yet sifted ground stir beneath her feet. Just ahead, the trees opened up, revealing an enormous space of fallen trees and dust, as if the forest had just… died away. Several yards out, there was only dirt, clear of trees, but touched with artificial light._

_She growled in frustration, the open space permitting few places to remain hidden between there and the man-camp. The lighter outlines of tents among the towering equipment seemed to mesh together, making it worse yet that the proximity of so many creatures blended their scents._

_…_snn_…_

_Luckily, the scent she was following was a fervent beacon, defined and clear against the other scents rolling from the camp like a series of watercolors in the hands of a toddler. Already crouching on all fours, she felt herself melt and elongate, her proportions coming out balanced and steady as a puff of whiskers caused her nose wiggle in exasperation as they twitched. Her eyes remained sharp as she bound across the mostly barren landscape, all four paws barely stirring the dirt. Even with the minimal light of peeking daylight being drowned out by the light of lanterns, she slinked silently in between the erected canvases. A quick perk of the nose pulled her the direction she desired, creeping this way and that to avoid anyone who might be awake and conscious during that ungodly hour of the morning._

_It took mere seconds to find the tent that held the source of her search, and as quietly as possible, she slipped under the tent opening and pawed the mosquito netting aside, trying to-_

_It was her. Not just her, but… _her_. Miles upon miles of darkness, and careful minutes that felt like hours silently stalking through camp; and all of it led straight to her own tent. She felt surprise. Her eyes widening slightly at the gentle rise and fall of her own chest viewed from outside her body, a few strands of purple hair splayed annoyingly across her face in a way that made her want to push them back behind her ear._

_A soft sound escaped her half-agape maw, like a small noise of shock that descended into a gentle whine as she moved closer to her own body in question, sniffing it, trying to make sure it was real._

_She was real. Very real. And that only seemed to confuse her the more._

_She walked forward, all four paws seemingly conflicted between bolting away and standing still. But she saddled up by the cot, nuzzling a pale hand with her nose before gently lifting with her snout until _her_ palm rested on her head, allowing her to gain an impromptu rub on the head, like what dogs would do to let their owners know that they wanted attention._

_It was real._ She_ was real, and it forced a small purr out of her chest before she let the hand gently drop. There were other things to deal with. And not all of them were selfish in nature. She quickly stalked out of the tent, taking gentle note that the sky was slowly growing lighter, now more of a navy blue than midnight blue._

_Before she could move far, she heard a strained sound, head turning and ears flicking up, only to find some random man staring at her, mouth opening and closing in shock. She crouched lower, turning her whole body toward him as her ears flattened, and her lips sneered. Suddenly free from his surprise, the man began shouting off in a language she didn't understand, alerting anyone else to her presence._

_Huffing in irritation, she bolted for the forests, vaguely aware of people stirring and some even yelping in surprise as she ran past. A smirk came to her face, but it was short lived as she was fast approaching the chain-link fence easily spanning fifteen feet high. A twinge went through her body, a small buzz trailing over her back legs as she took half-a-step in preparation before she leapt, practically soaring over the metal barricade. Within seconds she was back within the protective folds of the trees._

_The bolting slowed to a run, and then to a trot, before slowing once more to a brisk walk. Within moments, she was staring back through the dense of foliage, watching the camp and somehow honing directly on where _she_ slept._

_Gingerly, a purr began to form in her throat, sliding into a growl before all at once releasing a resounding roar. The resounding, she would realize later, was because even from the depths of her dreams, it was present in the conscious._

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys, long time no read! I've been sitting on this chapter for a while, but I felt I should probably give you guys some love and release it.

In other news, I'm trying to regularly update my Biography page for anything new that I might be doing (trying and failing :) ). So far, I've consolidated some of my story ideas, got rid of some, thought about some others. I'll be trying to fix it all up here shortly so I can try to keep some form of communication without you guys wondering where the Hells I am.

Once again, this is a Rough Draft, so if there is anything that needs edited, or is connecting in a weird way for you guys, let me know and I'll try to clean up the text. I do accept grammar and spelling errors too. (A copy and paste, but hey, some things are worth repeating for you fine folk)

As always (and I'll just keep posting this because its true), keep posting your constructive criticisms, as they will help me know what to look for in my future writings, and for the days I decide to do a hard edit. A writer should never stop growing, and I have no intention of stopping now.

**Another Author's Note: **This was my first time incorporating multiple languages in a single setting. So far Peruvian, Spanish, and Australian-English (head is still spinning from the sheer amount of research). Unfortunately, my only source of confirmation was Google Translate, but I did my best to cross-translate back between all translated languages to make sure it was as accurate as possible. If you are native to any of those languages and the translation doesn't make sense, _**PLEASE!**_ help an author out.

Also, if you are Australian, the same plea applies. I tried my best to type how the words were spoken (all I have are websites, Steve Irwin, and Crocodile Dundee for reference, so I'm in a pathetic place with it) and tried to incorporate appropriate slang. If sentence structure is off for Mister Clancy Martins, feel free to tell me (with actual appropriate sentence structure) so I can fix it ASAP. I'm not an expert, I'm just doing the best I could with what I was given.

So yeah. Overall, just a little glimpse into what's been happening, what's changed in the past two months, and the impending assignment Raven got roped into.

Please Read and Review, and Private Message if you're shy or prefer your inquiries to be... well, private. Please indulge my curiosity, and let me know what parts you liked, what parts need work, and overall what you guys think about it :D

Upcoming _Magicks That Bind_ \- Chapter 2 (still don't have a chapter name for it yet) in a few weeks or months, however long it takes to finish the series again, and maybe get a few more chapters out of my other stories.

You guys enjoy your upcoming Summer!


	3. Chapter 2: Evidence to the Contrary

Chapter 2: Evidence to the Contrary

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys. That's right! I'm not dead!

I'll admit, a part of the reason I haven't been dishing out chapters lately is partially because I'm afraid to come out of hiatus. And other stories. Three chapters into _Fury_, and I was getting pumped. The other reason is the lack of expectation when your on hiatus. But I'm done with that shit! Gotta keep goin' while the goin' is good. Due to current circumstances, I won't be putting out chapters as fast as I was last year, and I honestly didn't want to disappoint. But, as of right now, I'm officially dissolving my status of hiatus. I need to get back into the game, and letting you guys know that will hopefully get the ol' brain factory up and running in earnest again.

I miss writing, and I miss you guys, so I might as well kill two birds with one stone.

_**Review Responses:**_

-Chicolovesquacking: Yeah. Sorry to disappear for the rest of the Summer. It was a thing. Hopefully you weren't too bored.

-Allen Blaster: Thanks. Honestly, I took Spanish for one Semester, and didn't do so hot. I think I learned more from Google Translate in a few weeks than I did for almost nine months in a classroom.

-Mr. Ursine: Well... here's Chapter 2. Sorry it couldn't come out sooner. You've probably finished the Proposition by now, and if you haven't, you're a slower reader than my sister (and that says a lot) :)

-Invictus Icarus: No. Not salty at all I'm sure. It's a combination of personal experience and speculation. I don't have too much first-hand experience, but I was familiar enough with concepts of wedding planning (helped plan someone elses wedding) and child-rearing (helped raise my baby sister) to give it a crack. I just wrote what I saw and understood. :) Speaking of Nightwing and Starfire's wedding... heheheheheheheh! (No, it won't be in this story)

Yeah, I couldn't imagine Raven without her dope cloak and belt either. We'll see as far as the rest of the Titan's, but I'm not sure quite yet since Raven and Nightwing are the only ones with a reason to change so far... and maybe Beast Boy. As for the pouch, I can almost guess what you're thinking, but not enough to make an educated guess.

Yes, I'm a sadist (I tested 97% for it, though the people in my life would argue that I'm a masochist). I'd say the adoption is only partially a coping mechanism, and that's mostly due to the timing. She's finally figuring out what she wants, and she's going for it. As far as emoticlones in BB's mindscape... we'll see.

The goose/geese have been cooked. Thoroughly. I wish I could say that no animals were harmed in the making of this story, but those geese won't be seeing another migration.

-Golem XIV: Yup! Still kicking. I loved writing Tyler's lines for that, especially since he's so accepting of Raven's role in his life. He's young enough that it seems almost natural.

-TheAlienHeart: Well, let me know what you think! :D

-FanficsOP: So many questions... but none were asked... so none may be answered... Now I have _a_ question: "What were your questions?"

***End of Responses**

Disclaimer: You know what goes here. And you should know how heartbreaking it is to be reminded of it.

**Read and Review pretty please**

Without further ado. *Que the dimming of the lights*

* * *

Magicks That Bind:

Chapter 2: Evidence to the Contrary

Raven shot up, more from shock than anything else. Warmth was already suffocating her tent, and her neck was wet with perspiration. But those discomforts didn't matter as wide violet eyes looked down at her hand, a strange tingle of raw nerves preventing her from clenching a fist.

_He _had been there. _He_ had made her pet him. _He_ was alive. _He_ was living somewhere in the vicinity. _He_ hadn't called, or e-mailed, or even sent an Azar-damned letter. He- That little- Her tent blacked out, her shadows entwining with the canvas, knitting itself around her as it covered everything in her confine, prepared to–

A knock on one of the support poles of her tent drew her attention before she could properly blow something into oblivion, but it was just the thing she needed to reign in her emotions… for now.

"Who is it?" she asked, closing her eyes as she held a hand to her face, her voice not as passive as she would have liked.

"It's, uh, Jaime… you know, Blue Beetle."

The silence persisted, Raven dealing with other thoughts. She didn't have time for this. "And?" she asked with forced patience.

"Um, Pantha's calling all Titans. She wants you present. Evidently, something snuck into camp last night," he responded weakly, followed by a series of chitters. "No! _¡No estamos asando nada!_" Growling chitters. "I don't care that _you're_ hungry. I didn't eat breakfast either. I starve, you starve; that is the way this parasitic relationship work." Pitiful warbles and clicks. "Try again _compañero_. Your not that convin–"

"Still here, guys," Raven interrupted, listening to his feet shift in fright.

"Oh. Right. Sorry. Pantha." His embarrassment and the bug's chiding rolled off them in droves as he walked away.

His footstep receding, and Raven groaned, cursing the light of day that would– Right! She was levitated to her feet in an instant, a small black shell bursting from her to rid herself of the sweat and grime of sleeping in a humid tent.

_'I'm gonna pin the tail on that green ass with a railroad pike!'_ Rage fumed.

_'Gently,'_ Temperence voiced reassuringly.

_'Ooo! Are we playing a game?'_ Happy chimed in.

_'Nope,'_ Raven growled, throwing open her tent. _'I am done playing.'_

The sun was peaking over the trees, the darkened blues she had seen in her vision giving way to the fresh golden glow of a new day. Normally, she'd take a moment to meditate and bask in the radiance, but she was out for… something. Not blood. Not yet. But then what?

She stepped out, her aura practically shunting aside any who stood in her way. The workers were clearly uneased, but if their feelings were any indication, it wasn't toward her as she stepped swiftly past them.

"Raven." Pantha was standing up ahead, the twins, the trapper, and Blue Beetle standing behind her. She was knelt down, talking with a worker seated on a crate in front of her. "We were just talking to Señor Sousa here. He was up this morning when the camp was alerted."

Yeah, she recognized him. He was the man who had caught sight of _him_ in her vision.

As if recognizing his introduction, he nodded at the Titan before speaking. "_Regresaba del baño y lo vi. Me iba de una tienda_," he stated with a firm nod of affirmation.

"He was coming back from the bathroom," Pantha translated, to which Raven was grateful. "He saw it leaving a tent."

"What exactly?" Beetle asked, beating Raven and Martins to the punch if their half-agape mouths were any indication, since everyone else understood Spanish.

"_¿Qué viste exactamente?_" Pantha reiterated to the witness.

He made an enlarging motion with his hands. "_Jaguar_," he exhaled, his breath shuddering. "_Fue… demasiado grande. Más grande de lo que debería ser._" He held up his flattened hand in measurement, adjusting it with a look of fear on his face as he lifted it. "_Era así de alto hasta el hombro._"

"It was a Jaguar," Pantha continued. "Larger than normal." She nodded at his measurement. "Much larger."

Clancy Martins moved closer to observe the measurement, his face saying he was calculating something. "Average Jaguar is about seventy centimeters tall at the shoulder. Just guestimating, but that would pu' it at about… hundred and thirty centimeters at the shoulder. Which means…." He seemed to do another series of calculations in his head as he widened his hands, making a vague sense of extension and expansion as he motioned. "…we're looking at about three-hundred an' twenty-five centimeters of Jag.

"That's ov'uh ten an' a half feet in yur American metrics. That puts it at about… over three-fifty kilograms, so… closer to almost eight hundred pounds."

"_¡¿Que grande?!_" Mas whistled. "_¡Seremos comidos enteros!_"

"_¡No quiero terminar como Caperucita Roja!_" Menos cried.

"_En el cuento, el lobo se come a la abuela_," Mas chided with an eyeroll. "_Idiota._"

"I have a question," Raven interjected, luckily before a fight had broken out between the twins.

Everyone turned to her, their eyebrows widening slightly. Clearly, they had forgotten she was there, but that was fine. She was quiet like that. Pantha got over it the quickest and nodded for her to continue.

"What color was it? The jaguar?" She had to make sure. Despite herself, she just had to be sure that she wasn't wrong.

Was that so outlandish to ask? Apparently; if the looks she were getting were any indication. Pantha however looked more intrigued, the eyebrow of her mask hunching slightly in query. She was on to Raven's line of thinking.

"Ask him?" Raven directed, her gaze more focused from underneath her hood, as if the shadows could bring out intensity of her violet eyes.

Pantha nodded, turning back to the man, his face slightly paled at the sight of Ravens deeper dark. "_¿De qué color es?_"

He turned back, his mouth half agape as his thoughts came back to focus. "_¿Qué?_"

"_¿Color? ¿Jaguar?_" she repeated simply.

"_Estaba oscuro, pero ... a la luz era negro._"

Pantha turned to Raven, her eyes drawn out in sympathy. "He said in the light, it was black."

"Why is the abnormally large jaguar's color important?" Blue Beetle asked, seconded by the others as they looked to Raven.

Her mouth was pursed in a frown, trying to find a rhyme and reason from everything that happened. "Because it was my tent it walked out of." She didn't realize she had growled until after the words left her mouth. It didn't make sense. She'd seen it. Felt it. The rush, the thoughts. The shifting. And who else did she connect with like that?

"Um… say what?" Beetle asked in confusion. "What do you mean your tent?"

"_Uh…_," the man said, earning their attention again. "…_Pero, cuando la luz tocó sus ojos, eran verdes. Verde brillante ¿Eso ayuda? Tu amigo parece frustrado._"

"But the eyes were green," Pantha translated, patting the Mister Sousa on the arm reassuringly. "Bright green." The luchador returned her gaze back to Raven, clearly trying to make sense of the information as she observed her. "Where are you coming from Raven?"

"Nothing," she dismissed, putting a hand to her forehead in frustration. "I just thought, maybe…." She didn't finish her sentence. She couldn't. Four months later, and she was feeling just like she had when her spells stopped working.

_'I am _not_ crazy bitch!'_ Rude snapped. _'You guys might be, but _I_ am not!'_

_'Crazy people technically don't know that they're crazy,'_ Knowledge educated.

_'But if we know we're crazy, then technically we're not crazy,'_ Envy pointed out.

_'Unless of course, we're crazy because we know that knowing we're crazy makes us not crazy,'_ Happy said with a giggle before she deflated. _'But then what does that mean?'_

_'We know what we saw,'_ Rage stated defiantly. _'But in case no one else thought of it, has it occurred to anyone _why_ we started seeing from _him_ again?'_

Not an answer was heard across the mindscape. _'Great. Just perfect,'_ Raven sighed.

"We should prob'bly continue with the schedule," Martins offered, returning the group to some normalcy. "It's an early morning, so we might as well make use of the daylight."

Pantha nodded hesitantly, still in thought. "_Sí_. Mas, Menos. You both will help Señor Martins with checking and testing his trail cams. You have the speed for it. Afterward you will help him comb through the footage. If a jaguar that size made it into camp, then we need to know where it came from. We need to figure out where it dens in case it needs relocated."

"_Sí, señora_," they saluted together.

"Raven, you and Beetle will be scouting the surrounding jungle," she directed. "You'll be splitting off to search, so I want you both to radio in every fifteen minutes."

"Why the bug?" Raven asked, earning her a raspy hiss from Khaji Da.

"Energy pattern recognition," Jaime offered, earning an approving chitter from his suit. "Plus Khaji's scans can cover a five square mile radius, but if I condense the scan area, I can pull in more acute detail."

"Sounds like I wasn't needed," Raven snarked, her eyes deadpan as she looked over the exoskeleton somewhat enviously. Five square miles _was_ a lot of range, especially when she couldn't even extend over fifty feet without overloading her empathy.

Jaime scratched the back of his neck nervously, a trait she was all too familiar with. "Not exactly. Even it has its limits. If what we're looking for is in a strong enough electro-magnetic field for instance, I can't track anything. Then again, I'd have to have a trace of it to begin with. Then there's magic. Um, well… Khaji instantly defaults to weapons of mass destruction since he can't exactly develop defensive or offensive countermeasures for it, but we _would_ be able to perceive the source in question with limited parameters."

"So, all the magic sensing and combating is up to me?" Raven demanded with a raised eyebrow.

"Pretty much," he admitted, "_if_ that's what we're dealing with.

"Besides, with all this jungle around, Khaji won't function at full-power."

"Does your parasite lose power?" Raven wondered with interest, her word choice earning a series of chatters and hisses from the suit, it's protrusions on his shoulders pointing at her and quivering, as if they were hurling insults back.

"_¡Cállate!_" he hissed to himself, turning back to Raven. "No, he just… won't hurt animals and trees and stuff if he can help it."

"So… he's an environmentalist?" Raven asked with a snort, slightly entertained by that notion, which was gently reciprocated by the hero. "This'll be interesting."

"_Muévanse_," Pantha stated with a sharp hand clap, looking only slightly amused. "We do not have all day." She looked at Raven for a moment before heading to her own, undisclosed, assignment.

"Fine," Raven resigned, breathing for a moment before she let her power lift her into the air, earning a round of exclamations from some of the nearby workers. To her amusement, a few even making a cross sign over their breasts, as if that would do anything. _'I guess the dark cloak really helps with the image,'_ she thought, trusting her enhanced senses to guide her direction– okay, so she chose a random direction. West. With the rising sun at her back and not in her face. Much harder to focus her powers when her sensitive eyes were blinded.

She didn't even give the others time to speak before she was gone, her frustration over more recent findings drawn to the forefront of her mind in an instant, fueling her powers like kindling to the flame.

She inhaled the breeze, the barren ground beneath her already giving way to the light-starved understorey of the rainforest and jungle, and at once, she felt the need to slow down. To breathe before she forgot how. _'Azarath Metrion Zinthos._' The air was heavier amidst the foliage, the moisture making it feel dense. Already, it began to feel like she was sweating through the muggy air. But it was fresh, the earthy smells titillating at her enhanced nose, the songs of birds finding purchase in her ears along with the high-whining drone of insect wings. It reminded Raven of Garfield's memories of Africa, except for a few of the details. It was warmer for one, and the canopies above left the earth below seeming almost as enshrouded as she was in darkness.

Reason stated that there was jungle just as thick and dark across Africa, but something about the ambience was… off. _Something_ prickled dangerously along the back of her neck in warning, her empathy already sparking with life. The air. The animals. Even the trees. It was all alive. And it all felt like it was watching her, but she didn't care. Let it all watch. She had other concerns.

It had to be _him_. It had to be. And yet, the evidence was already proving to the contrary. A black jaguar, and it didn't make a difference if its eyes were green or not. It was _black_. Beast Boy's forms were shades of green. That had been an irrefutable fact for as long as she had known him. There was no doubt there. Even her watching through his eyes up until two months ago, he'd stayed green.

And yet, she had seen through its eyes. If it wasn't Garfield, then she shouldn't have been able to. She hadn't made any other mental connections with anyone like that. And even if it was him, then how in the Nine Circles of Hell did their connection open up again?! Even now, she could feel the empty static that returned as she tried sending a signal through to him. There was no way she should have seen through him again.

And yet… she had. But it wasn't green. So... it... wasn't?

_'Gaahhh!'_ she thought forcefully, her frustration giving way to a powerful blast of force, the trees around her groaning as they took the hit, bits of their leaves and bark fluttering and splintering away. _'THIS MAKES NO SENSE!'_

_'Welcome to my world, sister,' _Rude deadpanned, looking exhausted from her prone position. She didn't even bother floating.

_'There's just no way,'_ Knowledge muttered frantically, half a dozen books floating around her as she searched through them hastily. _'This literally falls under the term "Impossible". And I know impossible! We're still alive after all!'_

_'Don't complain about why it shouldn't work,'_ Envy protested with a pursed pout to her lips. _'Just be glad that it did work.'_

Raven tried taking a deep breath before she–

_'Holy Azar! Does that mean… ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh,'_ Happy chirped rapidly, spinning in the air. _'Our connection is getting stronger!'_

_'Doubt it!'_ Knowledge called out again, _'That would require him actually putting in the effort.'_

_'And if it was stronger, we'd be able to connect with that shithead!'_ Rage snapped, practically in Happy's face. _'But we can't! So it's not!'_

_'Why do you have to be so _meeean_?'_ Happy cried.

_'I'm _Rage_,'_ the fiery one snapped back, _'it's literally in my job description, my portfolio, and on my fucking resume!'_

_'Oh quit your bitchin' Rage,'_ Brave intervened. _'It's none of our faults, so stop taking it out on us.'_

_'Why don't you make me!'_ Rage countered. Two Raven's now stood forehead to forehead, glaring each other down.

_'Mm-hmhmm!'_ Suffering protested, appearing five years old and a couple heads shorter than the two of them as she tried to push them apart. The scarred emotion's four violet eyes divided flawlessly between the both of them, glaring pointedly as she tried and failed to communicate.

_'This is harder than I anticipated,'_ Temperance stated, a hand rubbing her chakra. _'Calm yourselves. There's no need to fight over this. I'm confident things will reveal themselves in due course. We just need to be patient.'_

_'Way to keep our spirits up Temperance, but that's not going to help much,'_ Rude stated indifferently, her back contorting with the contours of the boulder she splayed out on.

_'_This_ is why I tried to move on,'_ Raven thought bitterly. _'All this senseless chaos over _him_, and it doesn't amount to anything. If he doesn't want to be found, he won't be.'_

_'Bitch! You didn't move on!'_ Envy snapped. _'You're _still_ subconsciously looking for him!'_

_'_SHUT UP!_'_

The mindscape went silent, emotioniclones and Raven's mind's eye alike turning to the source of the outburst: a shrinking grey-cloaked emotion that was collapsing in on herself, her shoulders hunch in defeat and dejection.

_'Just- just shut up,'_ Timid continued quietly, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes. _'Just stop. What happened to trying to be Happy? What happened to not wasting our Hope? You said that just yesterday._

_'Instead, Passion and Hope are in that stupid link-realm looking for him, we're all fighting, and we don't even know if we saw BB or not because nothing adds up or makes sense._

_'Just complete your stupid mission and stop… stop making it hurt more than it already does,' _she finished, collapsing to her knees. Her back began heaving, and for once, none of Raven's emotions knew how to comfort her. _'Just stop making it hurt more.'_

Suffering sniffed softly, a tremble to her chin and her four eyes clenched as she reached up and gripped the center of her chest tightly. They could all feel it, but _she_ in particular was destined to carry the weight of that burden. It did hurt. The grief over the past four months, the desperation over the past two, and the uncertainty in the now and yet to come.

She had let it build up to this, and now, it was crushing her, bit by bit. Grief, denial, stubbornness, distraction, and plenty of anger. Even counting the recent blessings she had acquired, it was hard to continue denying something that had dominated her every waking thought – and most of her sleeping ones too – for months.

She was so caught up in her own world (or mindscape), she floated face first into a tree branch, the impact clotheslining her feet upward as her head arched back. She would have fallen in her shock if not for the vine-like branches and leaves that snagged her foot, pulling taunt as she was left hanging upside-down.

"_Uugh_," she moaned, letting her body go slack in exasperation, her arms dangling freely, her hood still half-drawn. She didn't immediately attempt to get down, still half-present in her mind, trying to process everything. So far that was going about as well as the vast majority of her life. Thankfully, some things were excluded from that list.

_"Ouch, ouch, hurt,"_ something high and squeeky pitched chittered. _"Head, branch, hurt. Fall, branch, catch, paw, swing."_

Raven frowned, trying to bend her body up so she could try and find where the voice was coming from. Staring down from where her foot was caught, a monkey sat on its haunches, gazing down at her with wide eyes as it cocked its head to the side, looking at her in curiosity rather than fear.

"How hard _did_ I hit my head?" she wondered aloud, blinking in confusion before her eyes widened. "Did I just concuss myself into more super powers?"

_"Branch, head, hit, hard."_ The monkey continued to stare at her.

_'Oh no,'_ she thought miserably. _'Not again.'_ She hadn't "heard" an animal since the meta-rat incident two months ago. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. _'That monkey better not be a meta too.'_

_"Help, branch, down."_ Her gaze shot down, err… technically up, eyes widening comically to see the monkey yanking roughly on the vine that held her foot.

"No. Nono. Don't," she growled, resisting the temptation to kick at the monkey as it continued pulling. Taking a deep, calming breath, she closed her eyes, focusing her power around the branch itself before snapping it in two, letting the dank air billow her cloak as she slithered into a floating upright position.

A primal shriek left the monkey's mouth as it bolted away in fright. _"Branch! Snap! Dark! Bad! Bad!"_ it cried as it jumped behind a fan of leaves.

_'Run puny little monkey!'_ Rage howled manically. _'Run!'_

_'Well screw you too!'_ Rude exasperated. _'Call me bad? At least I don't sling shit you dirty simian!'_

She just sighed, trying to reorient herself in the dense jungle. Unfortunately, every leaf, branch, root, and tree looked the same. With a huff, she began floating upward, seeking the open air above the treetops. She didn't know how long she had been aimlessly floating, but she couldn't be so far from the camp that she shouldn't be able to see it; or at the very least, see the barren ground that had been cleared out around it. Even finding the river would point her in the right direction.

As she steadily rose higher, the constant prickle on the back of her neck went ridged, leaving an uncomfortable ache at the base of her skull that itched like no tomorrow. Hissing in discomfort, she reached around, massaging it with gentle fingertips, hoping to ease some of the uneasiness. A soundless tension caused her ears to perk, her pupils dilating, her eyes subconsciously widening as all her senses sharpened suddenly and at once, becoming hyperaware of everything and nothing simultaneously. Her breath hitched, her posture shrunk, and her stance widened.

_"Move!"_

Her muscles jerked, but she didn't move. Something held her still, suspended in the air; an invisible set of strings to hold her fast. Fear wasn't the word for it, but the word to describe what she felt was strangely absent. Induced? Unnaturally so.

The air trembled, a sound so low, Raven only knew it existed by the offbeat of her heart as it reverberated through her chest. It was all encompassing, echoing through the roots of her hair, and down to the clenching of her toes; speaking to her in a manner that could only be described as dominion. But it wasn't directed at her.

But… the way her hair curled further into her neck told her something was behind her, to turn around and face the source of her unease. So with a heavy swallow, she did.

She drifted backwards a few feet in fright, her eyes half-glowing in response as a branch shattered from her startled power. Whatever she was expecting or anticipating, this wasn't it. An unnaturally held body extended from its main coil, frozen mid-strike. A triangular head had been mere inches from the back of her head, it's would-be rounded snout giving way to a saliva-shimmering open maw filled with a single row of needle point teeth. Its head was easily just smaller than hers, with eyes and nose nestled on top; the elongate body caught in an unnatural expression as the majority was slinked around a large branch for grip and stability. But even then, where one should have seen a dangerous elegance or the fluid predation, its muscles were stiff and ridged, motionless as though it were a taxidermic work set in position, too afraid to do anything but remain stock-still, even half-poised as it was. Its muscles were silent, the rasp of its scales lifeless. Its slit eyes were the only thing that moved, looking rapidly about itself for something it couldn't see.

Judging by the number of coils it had suspended around the tree, it was... long. Very long. And big. She'd almost been bitten, wrapped up, crushed, and swallowed by a dappled brown and green anaconda.

…Assuming of course her powers wouldn't have blown it to smithereens in self-defense… _if_ she'd had time.

While Raven didn't appreciate that it had intended to make a meal out of her, she felt something baseline in its emotional spectrum. Fear. Given way to dread and terror. Something so intense that an apex predator sat ramrod stiff half-suspended in the middle of a strike, and all it could do was remain motionless, not even curling up to defend itself.

The sound ceased, and the tensed serpent's tongue flicked out, its mouth slowly closing, but its body not daring to move. _"Apology. Not, know, you, hunt. Take. Me, leave. Hunt, else, where."_ Its words were practically trembling in terror… if one could measure the terror of a snake's words… if snakes could talk?

Raven gulped, not sure what to make of hearing its thoughts in a comprehensible form. The simplistic communication was far from the meta-rat's, and the monkey's "speech" had been just as simple. Perhaps the lack of meta-gene offset that intelligence.

_"No no. Me no hunt,"_ something replied in return, resonating like a deep thuum through the leaves. Not feeling immediately threatened by the snake, she turned this way and that, trying to catch sight of whatever it was that was "speaking" through the darkened jungle.

_"You no hunt,"_ it breathed, betraying a calm so potent, it was practically suffocating with imbued wrath. _"She, scent. You, smell."_

The python turned toward her, its tongue flicking out a couple more times before it slowly began to coil back in on itself, its fear completely tangible to Raven's empathy. _"Apology. Apology. Not, know, she, you, mark."_ The sound began again, once more resonating on a frequency that caused Raven's breath to accelerate in a palpitation of simulated, and very real, fear. The large boa, however, went stiff again, its body just as lifeless as it had been beforehand, as if holding ramrod stiff would somehow help it hide.

Raven looked around, suddenly aware of how quite the jungle was, how dull her empathy had become to her surroundings, as if the whole ecosystem were holding its breath. Even the insects had gone silent, not a buzz to be heard by her sharper hearing. She didn't see or sense the creature anywhere, as if only the wind knew its true origin.

_"You hunt she,"_ it growled back, Raven immediately feeling as though it was baring its teeth. Evidently the anaconda sensed this too, its heartbeat suddenly picking up audibly to her hearing, intensifying to the point its under-scales seemed to convulse slightly. _"Me hunt you._"

The tone of finality in the unseen creature's "voice" sent Raven's heart beating faster for reasons she didn't understand. Fear? Yes, there was enough fear to go around, and yet… the same feeling she had come to associate with-

"Garfield," she whispered. Despite previous complaints and attempts to shut it all out, to shut _him_ out; against her better – and worse – judgement, her Hope began to reach out again. Because for some reason, she felt undeniably _safe_.

A cutting _shhrr_ drew her attention instantly, imprinting a horrible sight. In the span of a second between the sound and her gaze, the anaconda had been sliced open; from the base of its jugular, a series of straight lines reminiscent of claw marks had been cut down its body to where the rest of it hung in the branches, leaving its insides to slide limply outside its body, only the visible muscles around the esophagus held it in place. The red flesh of what could only be its now exposed stringy innards, a darker colored organ pulsing. It's heart.

The snakes eyes seemed to widen in shock, if it had eyelids that is. Slowly. Very slowly. Its muscles began to go limp, drooping its head downward. A strange, hoarse sound escaped its loosening jaw, half exposing the pointed teeth of its mouth. It sounded as though it were suffocating, and it was all she could do to block out its shock, fear, and pain. Within moments, it was hanging lifelessly, as if it were nothing more than a simple vine in the jungle.

Raven's mouth went dry, trying and failing to swallow the lump in her throat as she felt the last wisps of its vitality fade away, punctuated by the stilling of its exposed heart. It was… so simple. Terrible. And yet, beautiful. Its reptilian eye held hers, if only so its soul wasn't alone when it passed. It was scary how easy it had died. Something so alive, and powerful, and deadly; to be reduced to nothing more than an easy meal for whatever else came along. To watch as its heartbeat stilled, and all life left it… to watch something die… Raven felt as though a part of herself had died with it.

Hot breath washed over her from behind, making the muggy sweat on the back of her neck cool for a fraction of a second as the air traveled through the weave of her hood. It pushed her cloak against her back, billowing the fringe past her legs.

It was behind her. If she didn't feel like it wouldn't hurt her, then she would have emulated the anaconda in her movements: unable to so much as flinch as it observed her.

"Is… is that you?" she whispered, her eyes daring to turn her head for her. She didn't get the chance to see it as something wet and coarse dragged across her cloak, drenching her almost instantly in spittle that was quickly soaking through to her uniform. Immediately, a strong, musky scent hit her nose, causing a round of coughing fits to leave her as she bent over, her eyes watering from the smell. "What the Hells? Beast Boy!"

She whipped around, only to be greeted by empty space and empty… just empty. The jungle flickered with movement once more, insects resuming their buzzing and whining as they flew back to their intended courses. The pressure that had settled in her chest was gone, and all sense of immediate danger had passed. It was as if the everything had forgotten what had just transpired, or as though nothing had happened at all.

But Raven couldn't. Just a few feet away, a frickin' big snake was now just hanging carcass, already being bombarded by a swarm of flies, and soon, even the testament to what had happened would be gone. Life moved on, and nature continued unhindered. The circle of life and all that bull entailed.

Almost half-consciously, she wrapped her hand around her right forearm, some of the tissue underneath still sensitive as she rubbed a thumb over it, even after four months. She was daring to Hope. Still. And so far, it wasn't panning out. If it was the changeling, why would he keep running? Why wouldn't he show himself? She'd already yelled at him like normal.

There was something she was missing. Something crucial.

Regardless of what that "something" might be though, one thing was clear. That creature. It _had_ to be the cause of the ecosystem's anomaly. The sheer impact it had made on an anaconda, one of the Amazon's top predators, was proof enough. What's more, it was intelligent. And slim though the chances were, Raven believed it was Ga- Beast Boy, even though evidence was still being jumbled around like Nightwing's birdarangs. It wasn't concrete yet.

She startled as one of her belt pockets buzzed, and she reached in, pulling out her communicator. It was piled with calls, all of them from Pantha. Judging from the timestamps, Raven had missed the past two check-ins, and now had a ton of voice messages and texts.

_'Has it really been that long?'_ she wondered, sighing in frustration as she prepared to call of any search attempts. She didn't need all the attention, but there was something introspectively more important at the moment.

_"Oo-oo! Bad. Bad. Monster, scary. Me, run, hide!"_ she heard chatter, turning to see what she assumed was that same damned monkey from earlier disappearing into the brush.

_'Oh yeah!'_ she thought in exasperation. _'And now I can hear animals speaking! Again.'_

_'Statistically speaking, hitting our head shouldn't have allowed us to hear animals,' _Knowledge offered.

Sighing, she held up one side of her cloak, glaring at the saliva that dripped off the edges, the consistency only just thicker than water, but somehow lathered all along the back of her neck as though a whole bucket had been dumped on her. Her nose crinkled again, causing another round of coughing fits. The smell was strong, permeating her senses despite her attempts to breathe through her mouth, but it was strange. Something at the back of her mind twitched in understanding, but she had no idea what the Hells was up with it. The most the forefront of her mind could fathom was, _'Ugh! And I need a bath.'_

Despite that inconspicuous iota of understanding, she was frustrated. _'Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos,'_ she chanted, unable to take any amount of calming breath without that Azar-awful smell hitting her square in the face.

_Zz-zzz!_ Her communicator buzzed again, letting her know that Pantha was on the other line.

She snapped open the device quickly, her pale hands visibly white knuckling her irritation. "Raven, here," she said monotonously, not feeling it at all.

_"Where are you? I've been trying to contact you for the past several minutes."_

Raven sighed as she leaned back against the nearest tree, looking at the fly-ridden carcass of the creature that had almost taken a bite out of her. _'Hitting my head, almost getting eaten. Just another day at the office,'_ she thought sarcastically. "Busy," was the only answer she provided.

_"So busy, you couldn't let us know you were alive after two check-in's?!"_

"Yes."

_"_¡Lo juro por Dios!_"_ Pantha swore, visibly taking a deep breath over the screen before she looked back at Raven. _"What happened?"_

"The good news: I might have found our anomaly…," she answered.

_"That _is_ good news,"_ she responded carefully.

"…the neutral news: it might be Ga-" Her tongue clicked in agitation, consistently pulled back and forth between which name she was supposed to use; something familiar and endearing? She couldn't even call _him_ 'Idiot' without it dredging up some fond memory or other. Nope. The jackass left without so much as a sticky note saying he was going out to get milk. Something informal and related to their jobs as superheroes? Nope. She'd seen his very soul and some of his memories to boot; whether she liked it or not, she was too close. _Sigh_. She just couldn't win.

Letting out a spluttery exhale, the back of her head smacked against the tree.

_"It might be…what? _¿Qué?_"_

"Nothing," she dismissed just loud enough before letting her face fall naturally into her deadpan. "The anomaly is possibly an animal. I didn't see it, but… I felt it. Not sure how large it is but judging from the breath of hot air it blew down my neck, I'd say it was large enough."

_"And are you okay? Did it hurt you?"_

Raven glanced deeper into the jungle, the lively sounds in the canopied dark hiding anything that stood still enough. Something could be crawling just a few feet away, and she wouldn't see it if she didn't know what she was looking for. Because she didn't know what she was looking for.

_'Did _he_ hurt me?'_ Raven wondered, holding her forearm a little tighter as she pondered that question. Four months was a long time.

"No," she stated, her emotionless tone hiding any uncertainty she could, or should, be feeling; somehow disassociating Beast Boy and the anomaly in question. Because the "anomaly", whether or not it was the changeling, hadn't hurt her in any measurable fashion… except maybe the meditation session she was going to need to process _feeling_ the anaconda that was trying to eat her, dying. That was a call to self-therapy if ever she'd had one.

Pantha sighed in relief on the other side of the transmission. _"Good. Are you heading back? Or are you continuing after it?"_

She paused. Was there any point in trying to find it? Her senses were sharp, but not "tracking" sharp. Plus, if it didn't want to be found… well, it wouldn't be. On top of that, it also had a good five (plus) minute head start on her.

"I'll head back," she answered, kicking away from the tree as she attempted for a second time that day to rise above the emergent layer of the jungle, this time unimpeded as she met the sky once more. It was darker than when she had entered, cloud overcast billowing swiftly overhead to cover the mid-morning sun. Further over the jungle, she could see the edge of the skyline, and the light blues of that would soon be overrun by the ensuing storm. "Um? What was the seven-day forecast? I didn't get to check on my way over."

_"Um, clear skies I believe. And warm. Doesn't look like it from here."_

"Fire the weatherman," Raven drawled.

_"Seasons are opposite on this side of the equator,"_ Pantha informed. _"So it is basically Late-Spring._ But_, it is a rainforest. Weather isn't exactly normal to begin with."_

"Which means April showers?" Raven asked sarcastically.

_"More or less. The most intense of the rainfall is between December and May during the wet season. But that's just the weather. It's unpredictable that way. So who knows? Just get back quickly. Don't want to be caught out there when it does start pouring."_

"'Kay." The screen went black as Raven ended the call, taking a deep breath of the humid air before floating higher, aiming back the direction she had come from.

* * *

_An hour later…_

"I just had to say something."

The dry seasoned rain was worthy of a monsoon, surprisingly beating down across the camp with a fervor that quickly wetted the dry, dusty earth of the excavated jungle. Mud and puddles had formed within minutes, and the nearby river was soon thick with deposit as the earth eroded downhill. Lightning had kept to the clouds, a gentle flash now and then giving way to a distant rumble. The wind had lessened after the clouds gathered, suggesting that despite its swift approach, the storm would be staying for a while. Despite that, there was no end to its expanse, easily stretching to all four corners of the visible horizon over the treetops.

In the command tent, Martins was rapidly scrolling through his trail cam feeds, Pantha hovering over his shoulder as she "assisted" in his search. The rain had long since been _patter_ing loudly on the drape, giving some ambience to drown out the silence.

"Where is she?" the luchador demanded, one in several that had taken place in the last forty minutes.

"When I see 'er, you'll be the first ta know," the trapper responded once more, the patience in his tone reflecting of a man used to waiting for results (or what he hunts) to come to him.

Pantha pushed away in frustration, immediately returning to pacing back and forth; a reoccurring event that had taken place in a repeating cycle. She pulled up her communicator, growling in frustration. "Her communicator's signal isn't coming through. _Maldita tormenta!_"

She quickly started dialing a number into the device before she stopped in realization, just as she did every other time; that if she can't trace Raven's signal, she wouldn't be able to get ahold of Blue Beetle, who she had sent out when he returned from his anomaly hunt to look for her.

The twins wouldn't be much help. Despite their speed, they had a lousy sense of direction, and would undoubtedly end up fighting with each other at some point. Best to keep the search party of one looking for one person instead of three.

"Your worried?" Martins asked, keeping his eyes on the screens.

Pantha took a moment to stop and think on that. "No. I just don't like when those under my care are missing. It doesn't sit well with me, but if I know anything about her, Raven will be alright."

"So, you're not worried?" Martins said with a slight tone of disbelief. "That's new. Generally, when an operative is unaccounted for, it leaves the potential to lose a good man…. Or woman. Doesn't usually sit well with most CO's. Gotta bring every one home and all that."

Before Pantha could answer, the tent flap opened, the sound of rain more audible before it shut again. Blue Beetle stood at the entrance, his bio-mechanical wings buzzing the access rain away like a dog shaking itself after a bath.

"Did you find anything?" Pantha asked, reserving her tone.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked in disbelief. "The electro-magnetic currents in a storm mess with Khaji as bad as a kid with a box of magnets. I tried to track her energy signature, but even without the storm, getting a read on her was kind of buggy…" "_Krrrrrr."_ Khaji agreed. "…pun intended.

"I swept over the direction she was scouting from, and I traced it about a mile or two out. After that, it's like she dropped off the face of the planet."

"And did you find anything else?" Pantha demanded with tried patience, clearly not liking the report she was getting.

"Found a dead snake the size of a small truck," Jaime said, the detail minor and unimportant. "Thing was just hanging on a branch, gutted open. Khaji couldn't pick up the genetic profile of whatever killed it, and he didn't like it at all.

"Come to think of it, that was around the same area we lost her signal."

Pantha seemed to breathe a sigh of relief before she turned back toward the black and blue hero. "Thank you. Get some rest, but tell the twins to find something second-hand they can do. They've had an easier job goofing off than the rest of us."

Jaime chuckled somberly. "I'll see what I can do. And I'll see if I can't pick up her trail tomorrow. You never know." With a firm nod, he opened the door once more before heading back out into the rain.

"Not concerned anymore?" Clancy asked, having turned from his work to look at Pantha, and her visibly more relaxed demeanor.

"Still concerned," she reaffirmed. "Just more at ease."

"An' why's tha'?"

"Let's just say, if there's one thing I know about her, it's that she will be fine."

"That doesn't explain anything."

"She's got a guardian angel on her side," Pantha said with a smile so faint, it wouldn't be seen unless one knew her. "And if there's one thing I'm confident about, it's that he won't leave her out there alone."

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

_'Well, this sucks,'_ Raven groaned, pulling her cloak tighter around herself as she sat underneath the thickest overhang of leaves she could find. Still, the rain found ways to pour onto her, causing a round of numb shivers as she attempted to keep warm.

_'We're lost!'_ Timid cried, huddling deeper into her cloak.

_'Who's idea was it to get lost?'_ Brave asked. _'Certainly not mine.'_

_'You were supposed to keep track of where we were at Glasses,'_ Envy snapped, briskly popping the yellow cloaked emotion upside the head, dislodging her spectacles.

_'Not my fault,'_ Knowledge snapped back, pushing her glasses back to the bridge of her nose. _'We got turned around after hitting our head and hanging from a tree. And it's not like geography was an important study, especially since we spent… pretty much our entire lives in towers now that I think about it. It's not like any of us are designated girl scouts either.'_

Raven sighed as she shivered, bundling up tighter. Despite the increase in her overall body temperature thanks to her increased metabolism, cold was perfectly preventable… as long as "wet" wasn't part of the equation. And right now, everything was wet. And cold. And muggy. There was only so much she could do without proper shelter, and it was wearing her down. Tiring her out. The rain was making her feel sluggish, and heavy.

She had gone the wrong direction, completely turned around. Contrary to what she had assumed, from above, the jungle blended together, even when she should have been able to find the bulldozed site. Worse yet, she hadn't kept track of any potential landmarks. But she had been her usual stubborn self and pressed on anyway. By the time she had admitted to herself that she was lost, the storm was already pouring, and her communicator wasn't able to get a signal through with all the interference. And despite attempts to create a portal, _that_ required her to have a line of sight to her destination, or enough familiarity with the surroundings to envision where she wanted to go; and both of those conditions required the energy reserves to make the jump in the first place. Tearing into Space-Time wasn't cheap, even for a half-demon.

As quickly as she could, she'd found a large branch to sit atop, keeping her legs and knees huddled to her chest to preserve her body heat, wrapping herself as tightly as she could under the folds of her cloak. Unfortunately, Cyborg's nano-mesh was designed for blocking bullets and knives, not raindrops, and her cloak wasn't much better, soaking her within minutes. It was times like these she wish she carried a fanny pack or something; a cereal bar would have been welcome right now.

"Need to see if Cy can make the new suits… weather-proof," she whispered to herself, her eyelids feeling heavier. No matter how much she fought though, all she could think about was getting warm, and getting some food. Warm, warm food. And sleep. Long, beautiful sleep. Those thoughts were a bad combination when wet, cold, miserable, hungry, and lost. The rain patter was consistent, and lulling. It was taking all that was left of her willpower to focus on something to stay awake.

Thoughts of Tyler, Timmy, and Melvin helped with that. She had to stay awake, if only so she could see them. But it was hard. To focus on their image, she had to close her eyes to actively remember what their faces were like. Closing her eyes made it harder to open them again. So, her strongest method to remain awake was also weakening her resolve to do so.

"Can't stay awake, guys," she muttered to herself, but her mind was silent. Maybe that was okay too. It was far more peaceful when her aspects shut up. She barely shrugged at their absence.

She blinked again, her breath half-hitching as it audibly slowed. Her eyelids slid shut, not quite fully closed, but enough that she was only half awake. She was tired. So very tired. Her body ached in a numbed sort of way. Her senses were content and at peace. There was no reason to not sleep. But she needed… to stay… awake.

Her breath evened out. Her body went lax. And finally, her chin tilted down. It finally felt warm. Still wet and numb, but warm enough. She let that feeling envelop her as she tried to dream. But even that seemed to be denied to her.

_Thum-thum._

Eventually, the rain stopped falling on her though the sound didn't let up, and she was rocked back and forth in her sleep. Some external warmth seeped into her bones, dissipated the numbness until her body began to ache uncomfortably as feeling returned. She tried adjusting, but she was secure, and she couldn't move properly, slightly jostling as she was.

_Thum-thum._

An eyelid cracked at the restriction, her face met with something large and fuzzy; and Azar! it was warm. There was an interesting scent to it; thick like tree sap, musty like dirt, yet clean like the air. It was… nice. Comforting. _Safe_. She moved her head closer to it. _Ooooo!_ And it was soft, like velvet; her head wiggled a little bit to help her head adjust to it, letting it envelop her more. Her previously numb fingertips lifted, trying to pull herself closer to no avail as her joints ached, refusing to cooperate. As if sensing what it was she was trying to do, the soft warmness grew closer, making her feel warmer still as it continued to rock her to sleep.

_Thum-thum._

One ear on the soft warmth felt the deep pulse thuuming. The other listening to the pattering of the rain as it continued to fall. The sounds cultivating together, drawing in her enhanced hearing against her desires. It was so free, clean, wild. All of it wrapped around her, tighter than her cloak. A lullaby that echoed with the reverb of warm, pulsing, life. A feeling that reminded her of her home in the Tower.

_Thum-thum._

Finally comfortable, she pulled her hands to her chest, letting out an audible yawn before drifting back to sleep. _If_ she dreamed, no one could be sure. But it must have been nice, especially with a relaxed smile tugging at her open and unguarded face.

_Thum-thum._

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys, long time no read! Part of the reason this chapter took so long was because of my struggles through hiatus, but the other part was the story took a "Deviant Scenario" (basically, there were multiple way this could go, and I was exploring everyone of them). I finally found one that I liked, and seemed completely natural and as unforced as I could make it. I was planning to release this Friday with the 1st Episode of Titans Season 2, but like I typed, Deviant Scenarios.

Once again, this is a Rough Draft, so if there is anything that needs edited, or is connecting in a weird way for you guys, let me know and I'll try to clean up the text. I do accept grammar and spelling errors too. (A copy and paste, but hey, some things are worth repeating for you fine folk)

As always (and I'll just keep posting this because its true), keep posting your constructive criticisms, as they will help me know what to look for in my future writings, and for the days I decide to do a hard edit. A writer should never stop growing, and I have no intention of stopping now.

Please Read and Review, and Private Message if you're shy or prefer your inquiries to be... well, private. Please indulge my curiosity, and let me know what parts you liked, what parts need work, and overall what you guys think about it :D

Upcoming _Magicks That Bind_ \- Chapter 3: _Four Months is a Long Time_


	4. Chapter 3: Four Months is a Long Time

Chapter 3: Four Months is a Long Time

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys. Another chapter for ya.

Got it out as quickly as I could.

_**Review Responses:**_

-Allen Blaster: Sorry to keep ya up... sorta. If ya enjoyed it, I have no regrets.

Well, hope this chapter answers some of your questions or comments. ;)

-Chicolovesquacking: Oh, there is plenty more to come.

-TheAlienHeart: It was a hard set-up to write, especially with how reversed his role is in this chapter. But I think I offset it with a practical demonstration of his abilties (*wink, wink*)

-Mr. Ursine: The wait is over! ... ... ... until next time... ... ...

-FanficsOP: What?! So many unanswered questions! So many inquiries left to fade to oblivion! Why FanficsOP?! Why?!

-Invictus Icarus: Yeah. Blue Beetle is one of those stagnant OP characters (they don't grow into their OP awesomeness, Khaji Da just make Jaime inherently powerful from the get-go). I figured if anyone deserved a leadership role, it was Pantha. Not only is she level-headed and strong (she did avoid the Brotherhood of Evil after all), but in the comics, she's shown to actually be an adoptive mother (she adopted Wildebeest in the comics, while in the series, their just close friends) much like Raven is aspiring to be. Plus, I wasn't gonna put either of the twins in charge (can we get a round of applause for chaos ensued). As to Pantha's foreknowledge... we'll see.

Well reserve your judgments for this chapter after you've read it and let me know what you think.

***End of Responses**

Disclaimer: This is not the Disclaimer I am looking for.

**Read and Review pretty please**

Without further ado. *Que the dimming of the lights*

* * *

Magicks That Bind:

Chapter 3: Four Months is a Long Time

…_snn_…_snn_… Mmm, something smelled good.

Raven's moaned as she rolled over slightly, lips smacking as her eyes began to flutter open slowly. It was pitch black save for the _crackle_ of a reddish-orange dancing light. As her grogginess faded, she stiffened, her head pounding as tension jolting into her body at the unfamiliar environment.

She attempted to keep her breath even as she analyzed her surroundings, defaulting what wasn't recognizable as potentially hostile. Some of Nightwing's training came to mind, allowing her to focus.

_'If you wake up in an unfamiliar environment, take inventory. First off: your body. Can you feel everything? Is anything hurting? You need to know what you're capable of _before_ you attempt anything, including if you're bound or not. You _need_ to know this stuff in case you're caught without your powers. Secondly: what is your situation? Kidnapping? Hostage situation? Knowing what state you're in helps mentally ground yourself to the situation. The more you know, the more you can prepare and counter.'_

Raven went down the list, gently moving or wiggling her appendages to ensure they worked without alerting anyone or anything, _'Neck… check. Shoulders… check. Elbows… check. Wrists… unbound and check. Fingers… all accounted for, check. Hips… check. Knees… check. Ankles… unbound and check. Toes… all little piggy's wiggling.'_ She took another soft, deep breath before continuing. _'Mild joint pain,'_ she noted, making sore typing motions with her fingers. _'Otherwise, nothing notably serious. No chest pain, and breathing is steady.'_

Next came her immediate vicinity.

Her hands brushed along the ground she laid on… surprisingly soft, and underneath that was unnaturally flat. Furry, but slightly coarse. Something heavier still was laid over her whole body, and it trapped in a surprising amount of warmth, but it wasn't hot or stuffy.

Her ears perked, listening for any sound beyond the fire at her back…. Bubbling… something percolating. No voices, or additional sets of breathing. There was little she could make out with her eyes accept the ground, again, unnaturally flat, but it appeared to be made of concrete; man-made.

She sniffed again, vapors telling her that food was cooking. _Snn_… rather bland, so it had few to no seasonings. Judging from the mild salivation she was experiencing… it probably had meat. Overall… _snn_–

_Grrrrrrrr!_ her stomach growled, causing her to wince at its boisterous groan. Were stomachs supposed to sound like a whole separate species? Probably not.

Her breathing hitched, her senses sharpening and her heart pounding in preparation as she attempted to discern whether anyone else was present or not, despite already having checked. If there was, they surely would have heard her stomach grumble. After a couple uncounted minutes, and a series of deep, steady breaths, she slowly turned over.

The fire was simple: a ring of broken concrete slab stones with some of the ring's holes and cracks filled in with mud or clay with a few left open for ventilation, ashy stacks of flame-engulfed wood in the center. Surprisingly, the bubbling was coming from a medium-sized pot sitting on a portable camping stove just a few feet from the fire itself, small blue flame jets underneath from the small propane tank attached to the side. Just staring at that gentle steam whiff from the lid-covered pot had her tongue pressing slightly over her lips. Azar, she was hungry, but….

She tried to remember how she got there. It had been cold. It had been wet. It had been miserable. Now suddenly she was warm, dry, and as comfortable as one could expect. She was missing her cloak, but otherwise, everything else was in its proper place. No matter how much she closed her eyes, or tried to force the memory, nothing came to mind. But it was so dark. Was it night? Was she in a cave? No, the ground was man-made, duh. She sighed in frustration as she looked down at her covering, her questions almost reflexively needing answers.

Her heart slammed into her rib cage as she shot away from the bed, landing on all fours, balancing on her toes and fingertips as her breath accelerating faster than anything she could have felt before. The blanket that had covered her was a large pelt, easily four times her size. It was green, the darker grass-colored hair fibers perfectly met in the dancing firelight.

She approached slowly, walking sideways, her eyes widening with every passing second that it held her gaze. Her hand reached out, brushing over the coarse fur with a mixture of curiosity and horror. It was real. It was–

"Yeah… not my brightest idea."

Her eyes shot up, already glowing black as her hand raised, the darkness around her writhing at the ready. All she had to do was–

Green eyes met hers, twinkling with the smile that was on his face, her power dropping away far too quickly as she tried to find the breath to speak. Her mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. She could only stare wide eyed. That was fair, wasn't it?

"Hey Rae."

Azar, it was him. It was actually him. But when–? How–? She looked back down at the green furred pelt, before looking back up at him, confusion tangibly straining across her face as her head did a double and triple take between the two of them.

"Yeeeah. Hold up one second." She barely processed his approached, just staring at him as he bent down, passively paying attention as his bare arm writhed, and uncomprehensive as the pelt crawled up his arm like a pet lizard and disappeared into his skin like a sinking ship. "Sorry about that. Learned how to shed my skins a little while ago. Thought I'd be back sooner to pick it up, but I may have… heh, tried to keep this from being awkward. No dice hey?"

Still no answer. Every thought, every emotion, every iota of preparation for this moment was gone. Just… gone. She let out a shuddered exhale, unsure of… anything. Staring was all she could do, because it was _him_.

And yet it wasn't.

The eyes were still his. Those same pointed, expressive ears. Same smooth features. The mildly pronounced underbite that showed off his two tusk-like fangs. That same pitch in his voice.

But he was different. His face had angled slightly, giving his chin, cheekbones, and jawline a sharper look, but only just. His hair was grown out, the disheveled ends curling on themselves in a choppy wave, making it look like a rugged or shaggy mane flowing from his head. His torso and arms were still lithe, but had gained a toned definition; somehow, both agile and strong and–

"Garfield?" she whispered slowly, still disbelieving her eyes as she gained coherence. While she hadn't definitively seen him in several months, enough had changed in so little time. He'd grown. A lot.

The changeling gave off a nervous chuckle, opening his arms in presentation. "In the flesh. So… how's it hangin'?"

Raven was moving before she had a chance to comprehend what she was doing. He yelped backwards as her arms reached out, his gloveless hands raising out in defense. With a shuttered breath, she walked right between them, and pulled him in.

Garfield winced, expecting his death right then and there the moment she touched him, only to feel her hands grab his face so delicately, they felt almost… soft. So very soft – in a rough kind of way. And they smelled nice too.

Brain synapses misfired as his eyes grew to the size of saucers, his pupils dilating as he unconsciously took a deep inhale of her hair right under his nose, because… oh, yeah, he was taller than her now. Yeah, she did smell nice. "Um, Rae?"

She didn't pay him any mind as her fingers stroked over his cheek, then his temple, then his forehead, then his chin; like she was committing something to memory by touch alone. "Are you real?"

_'Oh.'_ A simple enough fix. "Uh, would you like me to pinch you to wake you up?" he asked. She settled for lightly jabbing him in the eye with her finger. "_Owww_! What the hell, Rae! That hurts!" The side of his hand rubbed is eye gently while the other one gently swatted away her hand from further poking and prodding. "What was that for? We're trying to wake you up, not me," he moaned, trying to finish blinking some vision back into his _lightly_ maimed eye.

"You're real." Raven's arms wrapped around his torso and pulled him in before he could do anything about it. She held him close, her forehead buried into his shoulder as her hands tensing into his back. She didn't speak immediately, just held him, pulling him in closer still if only to hear his rapid heart beat, every inhale taking in some of his scent: sickly-sweet like decomposing fruit and leaves, dirt, and some musky scent that reminded her vaguely of pine and blood, but it was far more pungent and mysterious. It wasn't bad, but it was strong. For the first time, she got to experience him the way he experienced every one else: with every enhanced sense she possessed. And every sense solidified that he was real. "I looked everywhere for you," she whispered, her back shaking slightly.

His eye stopped hurting in light of his surprise as he tried and failed to comprehend what was happening. Slowly and with cautiously shuddered breaths, he began to return the gesture, his slightly taller frame giving his arms the leverage to wrap completely around her. He stopped a moment later, his trembling hands mere breaths away from securing her to him, the claws tipping each finger a constant reminder of what he could do. His breath was raspy and unsure, looking down at her like he was afraid he'd hurt her.

But the moment the bare tip of his finger grazed her, felt her safe and warm, he gave in. His cheek laid almost perfectly to the top of her head as he held her by the shoulders, and if one looked closely enough, they might have seen his eyes brighten with moisture. "Hey," he whispered deeply back, his voice croaked and heavy. Every inhale of his own brought with it scents of incense, jasmine, and tea; and underneath that… sweet ashen char. This was Raven. _Raven_. The first and last time she'd initiated contact like this was years ago, and now she was holding on for dear life. Eventually, he relaxed into it, glad that this time there wasn't a half-robot to pummel him with a stank-ball when he finally got the courage to hug her back. "I missed you too."

She didn't respond to him, and that was fine. She could take her time, because he could wait. It'd probably be another decade – maybe century – before she hugged him again anyway. She held her position, not moving at all; preventing his retreat. Preventing him from moving away from her.

It was one moment. Then two. Then three. Eventually it became awkward just standing there, the silence and lack of activity making his longer ears flick, trying to handlessly rid himself of a growing itch. It was also getting hotter… and a little stuffy. He tried to take a breath, but found it fell short.

"Um, Rae," he said, his voice coming out as a wheeze for some reason. "C-could ya lighten up a little bit? It's hard to breath." He felt the inner workings of his lungs pull in a little extra air just to– _'Why am I getting light-headed?'_ he wondered, his vision beginning to fog slightly, even in the eye she hadn't tried poking out.

She gave no indication that she heard him. Her hug didn't let up either. If anything, it seemed to get tighter. In a more worrying display, black steam began to rise off her shoulders in the fire light, looking more like haunting mist as it brushed past his face.

"Um, Rae?"

It was really hurting now! Thinking more on his personal survival, he changed, a small hummingbird melting backwards through her arms as they finally closed on themselves. Her hair fell over her face, continuing to hide her features as she just stood there, looking at her hands as though wondering why they were suddenly empty.

"Be-ast Boy."

The green bird gulped as it returned to human form, staring wide-eyed at her. The tone was low, and slightly threatening. He began backing away, the hackles of his long hair broadcasting warning signs.

"Be-ast Boy!"

His eyes immediately began looking around him for something. Anything! Anything that could preserve his life for a few more seconds. A way out seemed like the safest option. That tone was reserved for when he accidently sat on her favorite book, or her tea got caught up in a tofu versus meat fight between him and tin-head. Or–

Her head whipped up, four red eyes meeting his as her hair billowed upward in arcane display, blazing bloody murder as her teeth seethed and her canines visibly grew sharper.

"_Be-ast Boy!_" she hissed demonically.

It was in that moment that Garfield Mark Logan knew… he'd fucked up. And fucked up big time. The how's and why's didn't matter. All that that mattered was the pre-conceived notion that his next few moments on Earth would be utter Hell.

"Sweet Honeyed Iced Tea," he gulped.

* * *

Outside, a large steel-beamed, concrete walled structure stood between two craggy and dry rises, almost as if the construct were a dam holding back a wall of water hundreds of feet from its base, but building stretched inward far deeper than it appeared. It had fallen into disuse, some of the concrete weathered and the beams showing the barest signs of rust.

_Puph!_ A five-foot crack appeared through the concrete wall, pieces crumpling off from the evident impact from within.

"_SHIT!_" The crack burst open, debris and rubble flying outward as a green-skinned rhinoceros went horn-over-heels first through the newly created hole. He _slurch!_ed back to his human form mid-air as gravity took effect over his forward momentum, his clothing tattered beyond recognition. For a brief moment, he closed his eyes, spreading his arms as though they were wings that could take him anywhere… because "anywhere" else would be safer.

A massive dark-matter claw shot out of the opening, barely missing his leg as he continued to fall, his face the epitome of calm, just before his eyes opened again and the plaster of terror took over. His hands flapped, transforming into wings, another flap shooting him downward as he finished morphing into a falcon, avoiding the next grasp of shadow as it grabbed the last of his clothes left from his shifting.

A blast from behind him sent him diving faster, concrete chunks bursting from the opening he had created as Raven floated from the opening, flying after him with Rage-incarnate on her face. He twisted through the air, wings shooting out as he leveled out, practically bulleting into the rainforest below.

"_BEAST BOY!_" Oh, he was dead. He was soooo dead.

He shrieked as a dark spear flashed past him, exploding when it hit the ground; trees, splinters, dirt, and… was that a monkey? … flying in all directions. The concussion hit his wings, disbalancing him mid-air only to swerve him _smack!_ into a tree. His feathered face slid downward with a _squeak_ until he splayed out on a branch, groaning in his chirpy bird voice before turning back into a human.

His eyes fluttered open from his daze, met with a half-demoness closing in, descending on him like Armageddon. "_Gah!_" he shrieked flipping backwards before turning into a spider-monkey, leaping, jumping, swinging by paw and tail. He shrieked again as a whole tree was ripped up from the roots and thrown at him, some of the branches whipping at him as he moved out of the way. The second time, he wasn't so lucky, taking the brunt of thrown stones to his back, falling to the ground with racking coughs as he hit chest first, once more morphing back to human.

Another groan escaped as he rolled to splay out on his back, already feeling the minor wounds healing over. His hairs tensed, widening his eyes by default as he began moving of instinctual accord. Darts of dark fell on him like arrows, each aimed at him as he contorted out of the way. "A… E… I…." That dart was a little too close for comfort, nearly skewering his hand. "…O… U, and sometimes…." He cringed with a little squeak, turning away as the last one stuck in the dirt between his thighs, a little too close to the groin for comfort. "…_Why_?" he cried nasally. He glanced down at where the darkness would have castrated him, hyperventilated breaths slowly calming as his head fell beat back into the dirt with sputtered release, sweat sticking strands of his hair to his forehead.

"God," he muttered, his chest heaving in relief. "I'm _so_ glad I'm not hung like a bear." He quivered at the thought of what _almost_ happened.

_Khhh-hh!_ His hairs flexed again, his hands moving behind his head to flip back to his feet as something came crashing down right where he had been, churning up the dirt in a makeshift smoke screen.

Deep, raspy breaths could be heard just before the wind fluxed, blowing the access dust away from its source. Raven knelt in the center of it, as if she had intended to knee-bomb him. With a growl, she stood up, four eyes glowing hotter with Rage.

"Can't we talk about this?" Beast Boy pleaded; hands held up non-threateningly.

Shadows misted around her arms, fitting like clawed gloves of liquid darkness. Dark horns grew from her temples, parting her longer hair as it curled slightly like that of an impala. Unlike the impala though, the image it wrought was far more terrifying as she crouched lower and let loose a hissed roar that quaked the ground beneath her and sent several trees around them exploding into splintered fragments. A few of the indigenous bird species did not appreciate it if their squawking was any indication.

"Guess not," he muttered half to himself, closing his eyes with a deep breath.

_Ba-bum!_

When they opened again, his pupils had slit, his canines slightly longer, his second set of claws flexing from his phalanges as his fingers tensed, his ears elongating as they lay back against his head, his spine cracking as he hunched. He didn't move though. He wasn't going to throw the first swipe.

He didn't have to wait long as Raven shot forward, slicing down on him, only to be stopped by the pad of his bare foot smacking her wrist away before she could land a blow. She followed through, her other hand coming from underneath just as fast, only for him to palm it away.

"_Hold… still!_" she demanded between another combo of swipes and kicks, before throwing out a horizontal blade of shadow.

Beast Boy fell flat to his back with a "_oomph!_", liquid morphing back to his feet as it passed. He looked at the attack she had just unleashed and the numerous trees it had crudely chopped down before turning back to her, an eyebrow raised. "Yea- No! Definitely not holding still."

She made to attack again, only to watch as something sparked between a couple of his hair strands, his image nearly vanishing before he was right in front of her, his forehead smacking into hers in the blink of her eyes. The exchange was immediate as he received a fraction of her rage, and she took in his confusion and a forced induction of his calm.

She was stunned long enough for him to gain the upper hand and knock her off her feet, pinning her down. His hands held her arms above her head as he sat over her, looking her directly in the eye. "What is with you? Why are you attacking me?!" he demanded.

"_You left!_" she growled, a wave of energy blasting off her, and sending him flying into the air again before he backflipped to the nearest branch. "_You left, and I spent the past four damned months looking for you!_"

"I had to leave!" he snapped back, jumping between tree branches as the writhing dark of tentacles shot from her hand, smashing violently wherever he had just stood.

"_Bullshit!_" Individual fingers flexed as she dragged her hand, pulling the tentacles conjoined into a massive heavy whip, trying to smash into him once again, but to no avail as he flipped over it, seemingly unphased by her attack. "_You could have left a note! You could have told us where you were going so we wouldn't have to worry!_" Another series of claws and tentacles were avoided by him, his tongue shooting out with prehensile length as he used it to swing himself to another tree. "_But no! You left us in the dark with no idea whether you were safe or not! And you didn't even tell _me_ why!_"

"You of all people should know why I left, Rae," he stated, crouching down on a tree limb, his claws providing balance.

Her eyes narrowed up at him. "_Stop. Calling me that!_" Her dark-matter club smashed into him, sending him flying like a ball up middle field.

The impact wasn't as bad as he'd expected, but it still hurt as he ploughed through multiple branches like a limp ragdoll before dropping once again, this time on a series of rocks that he rolled over. The sound of water was prevalent as he let out another round of groans and coughs, looking down at the darker patches of his green skin that were his bruises, growing smaller by the second. He'd landed only a few feet from the river, where the trees stood up on their roots and their bark was rot-proof for during the flood seasons.

"Ow," he hissed, getting to his feet again, his ears perking up instantly. "Incoming," he whined, already on the move.

Before anything could crash where he stood, he leapt backwards, sliding into the waters muddied by the rain the day before. Raven arrived just in time to see him slide below the surface, her powers grabbing the nearest objects to throw at him, only to miss entirely. Taking a deep, not at all calming, breath, a small disc of black energy formed under her feet, levitating out over the water. She touched a finger to her chakra, her focus expanding over the water as she searched via empathy for any blip of emotion that didn't fit. Nothing stood out, as if her empathy was as clouded as the murky water below her. She still sensed signs of life, but they didn't display the emotional complexity found in humans.

A snarl lined her lips as she bent down on her floating disc, leaning over the water with narrowed visions as if she were simply looking down from a dock. What better way was there to taunt him out?

She smirked when she saw the water part slightly in a wake just ahead, a faint shadow visible under the wa–

A large caiman leapt from the river, clearly not green, as it found some easily floating prey. She started back, preparing to counter it. It didn't even clear the water when something larger snatched it by the tail, pulling it back and down from under the water with a _splash!_ From where it went under, Raven watched as something large writhed underneath the surface, the caiman thrashing violently before a jolt rippled over the surface and all movement ceased at once. It had been quick. Far too quick. And efficient. She watched carefully, noting as the crocodilian bobbed to the surface, unmoving as it began floating with the water current.

"_You need to be more… careful_," she heard gulp behind her. "_Caiman'zzz are hungry bastardzzz and will eat anything. It wazzz pretty stupid if it didn't try smelling you first_."

Turning around, she was met by a strange sight, to add to all the ones she had seen to-date. A large snake-like head attached to a long eel-like body, even though it was closer in relation to the knifefish and catfish. An electric eel. It was easily twenty feet, maybe more, with a head that was easily as thick as her own. Despite how large it was, it had been surprisingly silent, its form barely churning the water with its lifted body.

"_Oh, you're back_," she smiled, her head cocking slightly as it didn't meet any of her four eyes.

"_Ah fuck_," the eel groaned, just before its neck was snagged by a large black claw and pulled up out of the water, small sparks dancing off its slippery body to no avail. Just as it cleared the river surface, the eels flesh writhed and bubbled, just before it burst into a swarm of tiny green insects, buzzing from between the clawed hands fingers, amassing on the water surface in the form of a man-sized water strider insect, its six legs distributing its larger weight, yet somehow staying atop the water surface despite its size. It was far too large to _not_ break the water's surface tension, and yet, it stayed afloat. "_Seriously! You're not done beating on me yet?_" he chittered from its prothesis of a mouth.

Raven's disc dispersed as she began floating upward again. "_Looks like you have some new tricks_," she commented demonically, her eyes narrowing once again on him.

"_Oh, for crying out loud_." He slid back into the water mid-morph, green tail flukes of a river dolphin splashing as he went under again, a small dorsal touching the surface before sinking.

Raven watched closely; sensing even closer. She didn't give him a chance to disappear before she homed in on his emotional frequency, floating a little higher above the water's surface as she followed after him. She wasn't letting him get away this time. Even when he tried slowing down, or changing directions from underwater suddenly, she didn't let up, following in perfect synch.

Eventually, something did change. His emotions faltered, ever so slightly. The fear he had felt before was no longer present because of her; something else had drawn his fears. Almost before she could respond, he veered off, moving toward the shoreline quickly. She watched with some distance between them as he crawled to shore as a human, rolling over on his back to pant heavily, but not from exhaustion.

She frowned as he looked up, noticing her still floating over the water and quickly popping to his feet, shaking his whole body like a wet dog before moving back downriver along the muddy beaches. _'What the Azar?'_ A hand cast out, a wall of black heading him off, cutting through the foliage and jungle flawlessly. His terror grew three-fold as he began running back, the form of a green human flashing through the trees, exactly where she sensed him. Continuing after him, she kept closer tabs on him, some of her Rage mellowed by her confusion. That was unlike him, to suddenly reprioritize his fear of her over to something else. Maybe that was a stupid reason, but it was reason enough for her. What could be so terrifying that he preferred her wrath?

For every minute that passed, his terror seemed to grow along with a sense of strangely enforced numbness, and he moved slower as a result; further peaking Raven's interest as more and more of her Rage abated.

It wasn't until a moment later she understood why. Her ears perked up at some distant sound, her eyes looking ahead instinctually. The water was strangely calm below her, and in her ears, the sound of a crashing consistent thunder echoed.

Her eyes shot up to the changeling's aura just a few dozen feet away, and how much closer he was with his reduced speed. "Beast Boy!" she shouted, her voice instantly losing any hostile tone as she began moving from the river toward him.

Raven stumbled when the first wave hit. A flicker danced across her vision, an image touching so quickly, it left the imprint of a medium-sized motorboat over her eyes; followed by an audible _CRACK!_ that caused the birds in the trees to go airborne from fright as it echoed over the growing thunder.

"Beast Boy!" she shouted again, earning a much clearer image shooting through the center of her head like a chisel through her chakra: The face of a young woman with a bright smile, her messy brown hair pulled back in a bun, blue eyes filled with affection. '_Marie_._'_

She couldn't just hear the falls anymore, she could see them up ahead, a large wall of mist billowing up from where it crashed right in front of her, a rainbow mockingly crossing through its threshold where the light pierced. She was only at the base pool where the water poured, further upriver at the top trailing from several times higher than Raven stood, and yet, it was the association that counted. She turned back toward the trees, watching as the changeling crumpled to a stand-still, his entire back quivering as his hands came up to ears to block out the noise.

"Garfield!" she cried. But he wasn't listening, he wasn't running; and for a moment, she felt guilty. She had corralled him in this direction. But it didn't last long enough to leave an impression as she rushed over to him. Despite what she felt in the moment… four months was a long time… and she had a very long memory.

His body went sideways as she practically tackled him, rolling over in the mud momentarily before she sat on top, straddling his gut. Her hands pinned his shoulders down, and he didn't resist. All the flight and fight had left him, leaving him completely at her mercy as her eyes never lost their red fire.

"I'm done, Rae," he whimpered as he shook, sounding defeated, much like he had only four months ago. She remembered a changeling who was terrified, so vulnerable as he laid in her arms, his fate still unknown as his body turned against him. "I'm done running now."

That made her angry. Four months. Four _fucking_ months of exploring every legally attainable spell she could get her hands on. Four months of searching. Four months of fucking _Hoping!_ And he was done?! Just like that?!

"_You_ idiot_!_" she hissed, her fist rearing back. "_You're done when _I_ say you're done!_"

Those stupid green eyes just looked at her for a moment before closing, every ounce of his posture open and defenseless, accepting whatever fate she wanted to deal to him. That made her angry. Everything about him made her angry! His stupid grin! His stupid jokes! His stupid voice! His stupid persistence! His stupid stupidity! Everything he did, or said, or looked was just so… _so_….

"Stupid," she shuddered out.

Her fist barely tapped his chest, and all the anger drained from her at once. She felt empty. Every crevice of her mind, every thought, every desire, every blip of emotion just felt hollow. Devoid. Powerless.

All except one.

Beast Boy's eyes opened when he felt the light tap on his chest, not sure what to expect. Perhaps a smile? A "Gotcha"? The world's most intense prank ever pulled? It was none of those things. Not even close. But it surprised him… just before it broke him.

Her mouth was clenched, her teeth grit as though she was fighting everything within herself; which, knowing her, she was. Her fist came down again, not even half-heartedly pounding him in the chest; there was no force behind it, no heart. She struck again… and again, every additional strike getting gradually weaker. But it still hurt him like a knife twisting into his chest with every weakened blow.

All four of Raven's violet eyes were squinted open, tears pouring from each of them as four separate streams trailed down her face and cheek, looking down at him like it was the End again; her chest and back heaving breathlessly as she tried again to hit him, only for her hand to go slack, smacking lightly, but not lifting for another blow. She began to curl in on herself, trying to find lonely solace as a sob escaped her breath, and renewed her trembling.

The trees around them weren't enveloped by her power, but still, they creaked as they bent away enmass; as if the weight of her Suffering was too much for even the mightiest of trees to bear. For what on Earth could withstand the weight of a half-demon's sorrow?

"_Idiot_," she whispered. Her undertone had changed from it's demonic echo, leaving a faint hollow resonance in its wake. "_I looked for you. I searched everywhere for _you_. I used every spell I could, just to get a faint glimpse to make sure you were okay._" Her eyes opened a little more to look at his. "_But you left. You left, and you didn't care, you selfish bastard. I don't care what your reason is. You shouldn't have dealt with it alone._" She half-collapsed again, another sob racking her body, her arms stiffly trembling as she braced against his shoulders. "_You shouldn't have left… without at least saying, 'I'm coming back'_."

She felt something soft brush under each of her eyes, clearing her tears away. She sniffed, opening her eyes to see a small sprout of tentacles where his hand should have been, each of them softly wetted with her tears. She almost felt a chuckle rise in her chest at how stupidly _him_ it was: literally, in the face of her heritage, and all he saw was that she was crying. Idiot. Endearing. But an idiot none-the-less.

"Yeah, I didn't," he acknowledged, a small, sad smile touching his own face, "I didn't know when, or _if_, I was going back. A lot has happened in four months, Rae. I don't know if…." He trailed off, unsure how to finish, his head squelching back into the mud with a sigh. "I wasn't going to make a promise that I might have broken."

"_Then… why?_"

He just looked at her imploringly, seeming to hold all four of her eyes without glancing between them. It was clear as day: he was pleading. He was begging her not to clarify; because on some deeper level, she knew he would answer.

She briskly punched him in the shoulder, not even getting a flinch as she deepened her gaze, some of her fire returning. "_Tell me why you left?!_" His desperate eyes hardened in an instant, their soft life-filled shimmer dulled as his face went completely blank.

Before Raven could ask again, his left hand shot up, squeezing gently just above her forearm at her elbow. The nerves of her right arm blazed angrily like a roughly treated sunburn. Her body went ridged, her breathing hitching fearfully as she watched his other hand reach down to her hand, finding the ringlet on her middle finger that held her sleeve in place, and sliding it away with the utmost care. She didn't have time to protest, nor did she want to, as he slid her sleeve up her arm.

It was still clear as day. The large silvery mark on her arm, barely differing from her ashy tones except for the wax-like shimmer of scar tissue. A bite mark. _His_ bite mark. One made under the hypnotic control of a villain while he was in the form of a wolf. One that drew blood deeply, unable to fully heal even with the full extent of her Healing Trance at work. One he had tasted that day, and all the terrible emotions that entailed. His mark; his failure; his capability.

His face contorted, unable to hold back a stem of emotional waves that seeped welcomingly through Raven's chakra, letting her know that he was as real as he appeared. His anger, his sorrow, his pain; but most importantly, his guilt. He eyed it like it was a wound that cut him deeper than it ever had her flesh, his body shuddering as a wave visibly crawled across his chest and neck.

With a gentleness that surprised even Raven, one of his clawed fingers touched it. Traced it. Sending a wave of nervous tingles up Raven's arm. The pads of his fingerprints were soft and tickled slightly. But every now and again, she'd feel the sharper tip of his ebony claw graze over her, causing an unwelcome jolt to move through her muscles in reflex. Worse; he was tracing it like he had committed it to memory, every curve where a tooth and fang had punctured; shaping the unfamiliar mouth that had latched onto her.

She couldn't help but swallow as phantoms demanded she not only remember the initial bite, but all the emotion that came with it. Especially the denial and fear. The fear especially.

For a brief and terrible moment, she feared him.

"I wasn't in control," he whispered, his eyes clenching shut, his lips trembling. "I could have killed you if Mod had asked me to."

Steeling herself, she twisted her arm around, grabbing his own sleeveless left arm. Both arms side by side, she turned it slightly, revealing his own marring: a large bite-scar of his own, from his childhood. Seeing them side-by-side was both terrifying… and something of exhilarating.

"That's not a reason," she stated, her tone smoothing out as she watched him continue to stare at her arm. "Why did you leave?"

Even after four months, she honestly didn't expect a real answer. No one who left like he did had a real answer. Excuses were the go-to for people and societies. The end justified the means when the truth was so easy to leave alone.

But… "I was scared," he answered, his honesty trickling into her both brutally and acceptant. "Scared of how I would feel if I saw you guys again. Scared of how you guys would look at me. Scared of how you guys would react…." His grip on her arm tightened reflexively; imploringly. "…Scared that the next time, the damages would be more permanent."

She just stared down at him. He was helpless beneath her, and yet, in that moment, it felt like he was still miles away from her. There was a distance, not unlike the one she had tried and failed to maintain for years. The difference now was, she wanted to bridge it. "So… talk to me," she asked, whispers of desperation touching the back of her throat. "Tell me about it."

His eyes widened in surprise, his ears twitching at the sheer genuine concern in her voice; how her entire body subconsciously adjusted in preparation to listen. She was there for him, ready to hear him. Even after all this time.

However, that small adjustment made him aware of… something else. His face suddenly flushed a darker green, a small pinkish color touching his cheeks as another detail became blaringly aware to him.

"Um, Raven," he squeaked slightly. "Could you, uh… could you get off me please."

Her eyes narrowed in annoyance, her good will swiftly spent. "Really? That's all you have to say? After four months?"

"Nono! I'd love to talk about it," he said quickly, his embarrassment and nervousness so incredibly potent, but she didn't know why. "_But_, I'd rather do it when I'm in a state of dress that's… uh… more–" His hands fiddled with themselves as a finish to his sentence, "Well, _more_."

Her eyes lowered and narrowed as she processed his words, her lips pursing thoughtfully for a moment before she noticed where her hands were at. On his shoulders of course. His bare shoulders. Next to his bare chest. Which meant she was sitting on his bare abdomen, right next to his bare–

Steam shot from ears before those thoughts processed to their fullest degree.

_'Oh,'_ Passion said, blinking rapidly a few times… just before she keeled over backwards from a rocket-powered nosebleed. Happy was quick to soundlessly follow.

_'Nononononononono! NOOOO! NO-O-O!'_ Timid practically screamed, collapsing.

_'I'm gonna kill 'im,'_ Rage hissed, her face turning ruby red as her eyes began to glow a deadly orange, small nubs beginning to form on her skull. _'I'm gonna kill 'im.'_

Envy said nothing, but the clear smirk on her face was worth a few thousand words.

_'We're good. We're okay,'_ Brave had to state reassuringly. Contrary to her words, her face beet red, and a small bleed ran down her nose and over her lip. _'This is nothing. N-n-nothing to b-be embarrassed about. It was j-just an accident.'_

Hope's face burned a brighter pink than Happy's cloak, and she quickly portalled back to her realm, her sky-blue cloak glowing brightly behind her as she disappeared.

_'This was… unexpected,'_ Knowledge pointed out, objective as always, even as she sniffed back her own nosebleed unsuccessfully, blinking in surprise. _'Then again, shapeshifting _does_ tend to destroy regular clothing.'_

_'Huh, surprisingly nice to look at,'_ Rude input, Raven's fingers gripping a little tighter around his shoulders outside their mind at the emoticlone's behest. _'Huh, and firm too. And is that what his chest looks like? Well… it's not like we keep him around for his brains anyway. Oh! And his ears–'_ Despite her relatively placid appearance, Rude sniffed slightly, putting a finger to her nose, pulling it away to reveal red pouring from her nose. _'Oh! For fuck's sake!'_

_'Mm-mm,'_ Suffering gulped, wide-eyed as she looked around at her sister forms.

_'Ohhhhh… Azar,'_ Temperence breathed, pinching her upper nose, trying to control her breathing carefully through her mouth before chanting, _'Calm. Peace. Tranquility. Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos. Calm. Peace. Tranquility. Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos.'_

Outside her mind, Raven's eyes were closed, biting her tongue to keep from saying or doing something drastic. Super drastic. _"Snnnnnnnn-Hooooooo_,_"_ she breathed in through the nose, listening to the echo of their surroundings evaporating into dust, and out through the mouth as things exploded, before opening her eyes to a very much terrified changeling glancing frantically at their bombarded surroundings. Thankfully, he seemed unaware of just how colored her face was, more focused as he was on the eminent destruction of their environment. "Where. Are. Your. Clothes?"

"Um," he said nervously, meeting her gaze once more, unable to poke his fingers together with her holding his shoulders down and… was she squeezing them? _'Azar damnit, Envy!'_ followed by a _'It wasn't me! It was Rude!'_

"_I_ _may_ have ripped them when I morphed to get away. There's not exactly a Macy's for protomorphic weave t-shirts… or underwear… or pants… or shoes… or socks. God, I'd love a hoodie that didn't rip whenever I morphed." His brows furrowed with every article of clothing mentioned, less nervous now than exasperated. "Super-power minorities suck. Not a lot of size-and-mass altering shapeshifters out there."

Raven took a very, _very_ patient breath; nodding in understanding as she rolled over to the side; being very, _very_ careful not to accidently see, or touch,_ anything_. She had four eyes she'd rather not have to gouge out, and fingers she'd rather not chop off; after all, she needed a way to hold a warm cup of tea during the winter somehow.

Beast Boy hastily moved to a sitting position, turning and holding his knees to his chest so even if she did happen to glance, she'd only have a lovely view of his mud-covered back. "Um, sorry," he apologized simply, scratching the back of his neck gently. "I didn't even think about it until just now. There was the whole "running so you didn't kill me" thing. Plus, wild animals and clothes don't exactly mix."

"I'll keep that in mind," Raven stated sarcastically, keeping her own back to him, still taking repeated deep, calming breaths. "Do you have anything you can throw on?" It's not like she had a cloak to offer, still not sure where it had been put.

"Um, sorta," he mentioned, a note of reluctance in his tone. "Just… uh… give me a moment."

Raven was about to ask what he meant when she heard the _creak_'s and _crack_'s of his bones breaking and adjusting, the sound sending an unpleasant twinge up her spine as she fought the desire to turn around and watch. She even heard an audible fleshy _rip_ as his skin broke and muscles reformed, holding back a physical lurch in her stomach when whatever emerged _squelch_ed free.

"Gaaahh_hh_-_rrrrrrhh_," he groaned, his vocals changing mid-shift. Even the sound of his mass growing imprinted into the earth as she heard his now much heavier arm slam into the mud. There was a very tangible level of pain, but the further along he changed, the more muted it seemed to become.

It was a few moments later, though it felt like a whole hour of just listening to his body break and reform, that he spoke. "_Um… ready,_" he growled, a trace of that pain lingering in his voice.

Frowning in surprise, she turned slowly, almost scrambling backwards at the sight.

Now in front of her, a large green Apex beast stood on all fours; something crossing between canine, feline, ursine, and humanoid. It- _He_ walked forward, his hand-like paws walking on their knuckles like an ape as he seemed to tower over her, hiding his clawed fingertips.

They stood staring at each other for several moments before he began scratching at the ground with his claws. "_I- we, uh… should head back to my camp. We can talk then._" He watched her carefully, seemingly taking in every move she made with some concern. "_Do you want me to carry you?_" he asked, his deeper voice slightly warbling the air. "_You probably used a lot of power, right?_"

Her initial surprise was quickly replaced by her more immediate surprise; she jumped up, socking him in the shoulder. "You can talk?!" Of course, she knew he could talk. He'd doen so back… back _then_, and she'd heard it while piggybacking through his head before. But witnessing it in the flesh still shocked her.

"_Ow_," he groaned, though she couldn't discern if it actually hurt or not. "_Y-yeah. Recent stuff… among other things,_" he answered simply, unaware of her foreknowledge. Rather than elaborate, he walked over next to her, lowering his shoulder in offer. "_Get on. Unless… you'd rather I cradle you,_" he teased, giving her a toothy animal grin. His emotions shifted flawlessly. Again.

"I can fly just fine," she retorted, preparing to lift off before she was interrupted.

_'Um, I hate to tell ya sister,'_ Rude spoke up mentally, tissue stuffed up her nose. _'But we sure as nine-Hells ain't flying.'_ Case in point, her entire frazzled emotional spectrum… if mass nosebleeds could be considered "frazzled". _'Tell us you at least got a good, looong look at his bare a–'_

Raven immediately cut her off with mentally conjured rag stuffed in her mouth, taking a deep breath before looking back at the beast in front of her. "Um, on second thought…."

He nodded in understanding, not asking any questions as his shoulder lowered in preparation.

She was hesitant at first, one hand half reaching out without a clue as to how she was supposed to hoist herself up.

"_Just grip my mane,_" Beast Boy stated, sensing her reluctance. "_It won't hurt as long as you're not yanking on it._"

His mane. Right. Going for it once again, she found the longer, hair-like length of his mane, holding a stiff fist-full as she climbed up his forearm, to his shoulder, and onto his back. She could feel his massive heartbeat through her legs, almost sensing his blood flowing unencumbered through his veins. He was warm. And soft. Really soft. She half consciously began running a hand through his fur, enjoying just how soft it was, causing a shiver beneath her.

He sputtered slightly in surprise. "_What are you doing?!_" Had he been in human form, his voice would have squeaked.

"Nothing," she replied in her deadpan, keeping her more cozy thoughts about his oh-so-soft fur locked away. Death by further embarrassment was not the route she would choose. Give her a few months in Hell any day. _'Because it's_ _shno _snuggles-abww_,'_ Happy chirped internally for her, beaming brightly. Raven only mentally groaned at the pink emotion in response.

He chuffed slightly, lifting his nose with a couple sniffs before his head swung in a direction. "_Hold on tight,_" he growled, and as soon as she did so, he leapt.

Raven hated rollercoasters. And carnival rides in general. They were fast, dizzying, and always made her feel out of control. The speed, the loops, the spins; they always left her feeling sick. Riding on an Apex's back was much the same, save for the stark lack of seat straps. If she hadn't wrapped her hand up in his mane, that first leap would have sent her flying off.

In mere moments, they had scrambled past the vast circle of ash and splinters she had created in her embarrassment, propelling swiftly back into the jungle before they landed in the branch of a tree, his head turned back around, side-glancing at her after she had kneed him in the back. She looked about as unstable as she felt. "_Use your legs too,_" he directed gutterally. "_Dig your knees into my side, and lean into my back. I'm not a fan of saddles, so you'll just have to get used to bareback._" Of course, he said all this still with a cheesy grin, albeit, in full animal form.

"Like this is going to be a regular thing," she muttered sarcastically, doing her best not to look down at the ground far below her.

His grin just grew as she complied, her knees finding what purchase she could across his broader back. He waited patiently as she tried to find something as comfortable as possible, giving his mane a little flick – like he was some sort of horse – before he dared leaping again. This time, he wasn't so generous with toning down his power.

He soared. Charging from branch to branch in a semi-aerial display of acrobatics that might have even made Nightwing jealous. He swung, he leapt, he wall- (tree-) jumped; moving at speeds that had Raven's pale hands white-knuckling as they sped across the jungle. She kept her head low, smashing her face into his soft fur, small comfort though it was, like a baby chimpanzee clinging to its mothers back. There was no point in trying to take in the sights when she was doing everything in her power to hold on for dear life.

To Beast Boy's credit, whenever her grip began to loosen, he'd slow down just enough for her to tighten it again, before continuing unimpeded, a part of him, however small, clearly keeping some awareness solely on her.

It wasn't until he began to slow down that Raven dared to look up, taking note of his gradual decent to the jungle floor, the sound of his claws bracing into the branches and trunks causing her to wince. Within moments, his paws hit the dirt, and almost as quickly, the jungle gave way. The soft, darker tones of the dirt swiftly lightened to a sandy brown once they were free of the tree-line. The jungle had turned to crags and rocks, and dead ahead, she saw the structure she had woken up in, large hole in the concrete front and everything. She even spied the remnants of a deactivated security camera.

But what took her back in the moment was how familiar the whole structure was, like she had seen it before. Less worn and deserted, and more giant robotic deforesters and impending rescue mission. There may, or may not, have also been a special condensed quantum battery made here.

"Seriously," she stated aloud as Beast Boy came to trot. "You holed up in one of the Brain's old bases."

He didn't answer for a few moments, walking to the base of the structure as his body tangibly tensed beneath her. Feeling the knots of his muscles coil, she held on tighter just as he leapt, claws digging into the concrete as he began climbing up toward the hole he'd made to escape her.

As he pulled them up onto level ground again, he exhaled deeply. "_It was the last place anyone would think to look for me,_" he said solemnly, answering her unasked question as he padded back toward the room she had woke up in, now additionally lit by the hole in the wall. "_No people; easier to work. Plenty of food and water nearby. And shelter. Plus, the facilities were handy._"

He crouched down to let her off, his nose curling slightly. "_Shit! I left the stove on!_" he growled as soon as she was off, jogging on all fours over to the remaining embers of the fire, and a burnt smell rising from the pot on the portable stove. Very deftly, Beast Boy used his enlarged claws to turn the gas off, sniffing at what was supposed to be food. He grumbled a little, turning back to Raven.

"_It'll be a little thicker than I intended, and a little crusty around the edges, but it's still edible. Nothing wrong with a little char,_" he stated, beginning to move away. "_Help yourself; bowls are right there. I'm going to go put on some clothes. We'll talk after._"

Raven watched was he walked away, eyeing him considerately before his larger bulk squeezed through a nearby doorway. She didn't immediately move, glancing down at her pulled up sleeve with some reservation. After all this time, he was right here in front of her.

And he had changed.

Not just physically either. The larger forms. Becoming an insect _swarm_. The talking while morphed. She'd heard it before, so it wasn't too surprising; but still. There was also a large chance that he could cause heart palpitations through vocal oscillation; if her encounter with the anaconda had been any indication. Speaking of which– he gutted an animal without a second thought. Didn't that like… break his vegetarian vows or something? But most shocking among those revelations, he could reside in the body of the Apex with no apparent repression of his psyche. He was in control.

His powers had grown; of that, Raven was sure. Whether it was just his abilities developing, or if it was a new set all together; she was less conclusive. But _he_ was stronger now. One might say… evolved (_ba dum chhh!_).

And the way he had fought, and dodged. He'd never fought like that before; at least, not in human form.

He had changed; and only time and patience would dictate if any of those changes were good or not. But for now….

_"Rrrrrrrrr!"_ her stomach growled. Right. She had been hungry beforehand, hadn't she? With a heavy sigh, and heavier thoughts, she grabbed one of the undecorated bowls Beast Boy had gestured to, looking over the food he had offered. Steam still rose from it, and she could see were the edges of the pot had burned the… soup? The consistency looked closer to gravy. The color was pale yellow with green speckles, and had something shredded mixed in.

She closed her eyes, cutting off one of her senses as she sniffed gently. Despite her misgivings about its appearance, it smelled okay, earning a smack from her lips as she swallowed.

"Might as well," she muttered, lifting the pot and pouring its contents directly into her bowl, careful not to spill any of it, especially on her hand. Once she was satisfied with the amount, she set it back down, moving back over to the fire pit. With a careful exercise of her powers, she stirred the embers slightly, glowing life back into them again before she sat down on the ground in the lotus position. She quickly realized she didn't have a utensil, and neither had Beast Boy offered one, so she shrugged as she brought the bowl closer to her face, blowing carefully before tipping it up to her lips.

She burnt her tongue and lip right off, earning sharp inhale. Despite that, she kept her head, trying to glean what it was she was eating as she huffed lightly to cool her mouth. It was surprisingly bitter, leaving a slightly dry feeling over her tongue, but also sweet. Something oily too. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but some of the flavors were familiar, if not strangely blended. To say the least, it didn't taste bad; just different. Way different.

Something light fell around her shoulders, prompting her to turn. Beast Boy was carefully giving her cloak back, leaving the clasp undone, but ensuring it would stay put on her back before he walked over to the stove. She hadn't even heard him return, barefoot as he was, exposing clawed toes that had the same ebony sheen as his fingers. He had deemed it only necessary to wear a pair of baggy sweatpants.

"Your cloak was wet, so I had it hanging up to dry," he explained, pouring his own food.

"Thanks," she whispered, almost forgetting that it was missing in the first place. Without another prompt, she let it envelop her, clasping it around her neck, but keeping the hood down. It was… almost strange to feel it again.

"How is it?"

She looked up at him, eyes narrowed in confusion.

"The food," he clarified, rolling his eyes with a smile, taking a seat across from her. He let his bare hands graze the edge of the reignited fire, before lifting his own bowl to sip from it. He pulled it away, scrunching his nose slightly. "Could use a little pepper."

"It's not bad," she answered, sipping a little more in demonstration, "but it doesn't taste great either."

"At least I don't burn water," he muttered back, earning him a steely glare. "What? It's hard to blend flavors when all you have is whatever you can find. I mean, finding edible roots and leaves was easy enough, but I had to fight a howler monkey for the mango and plantains. And don't even get me started with the fish."

Raven stopped short from taking another thick sip of her food, eyebrow raised as she watched him carefully. "There's fish in this?"

"Yeah, piranha. It's supposed to be pretty good, but ya can't really tell," he replied, taking a _slurp_ of his own before looking back at her. "Why?"

Her eyes widened slightly; just before her bowl slammed down, startling the changeling as she gazed as deep as she possibly could into his soul. "Talk!" she demanded. "What's happened to you in the last four months?"

He hesitated on his next sip, gently setting his own bowl off to the side with a nod. "It's a short story, but… there's a lot to cover."

She snorted. "Try me." Because lately, she'd been through some stuff too.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys, long time no read! Another chapter for ya. I was going to try and leave a more impacting cliff-hangar for ya, but I wanted to resolve it pretty solidly. I didn't want Raven to flat out hate Beast Boy, but I didn't want her to just let it go either. Four months _is_ a long time, especially with the dedication she's shown toward finding him. There was a lot of emotional turmoil, and a lot of physical struggle; and you don't just flush all that work down the drain.

That being said, I didn't want to disregard Beast Boy's reasons for leaving, because they were valid. He did have a good reason for leaving, even if it was selfish at it's core; and he has a good reason for staying away, as will be picked up in the next chapter.

Further more, dissipating all the tension with a properly timed (and completely valid) "I don't have any clothes because I'm a shapeshifter" humor scenario was just what I needed. It allowed things between the two of them to mellow down enough so that they could talk it out. Yes, there's still a lot of high-strung emotions, but ultimately I still want them to approach it like the young adults they are.

To all end, I didn't want to downplay Beast Boy's growth either. In the previous chapter, we glimpsed this virtually invincible Beast that didn't take shit from nothing; but in this one, we saw more of the old Beast Boy. Hence his rather brisk, if not impacting, demonstration of skillz.

Lastly for this chapter, the next chapter will be a little later. I have another story that has people lighting their torches, so I'm gonna try and put out that fire before it gets too big. Take care, and I'll read ya guys next time.

Once again, this is a Rough Draft, so if there is anything that needs edited, or is connecting in a weird way for you guys, let me know and I'll try to clean up the text. I do accept grammar and spelling errors too. (*A copy and paste, but hey, some things are worth repeating for you fine folk*)

As always (and I'll just keep posting this because its true), keep posting your constructive criticisms, as they will help me know what to look for in my future writings, and for the days I decide to do a hard edit. A writer should never stop growing, and I have no intention of stopping now.

Please Read and Review, and Private Message if you're shy or prefer your inquiries to be... well, private. Please indulge my curiosity, and let me know what parts you liked, what parts need work, and overall what you guys think about it :D

Upcoming _Magicks That Bind_ \- Chapter 4: _Evolution is Change_ (Probably won't be the final title, but its a start)


	5. Chapter 4: A Promise Remembered

Chapter 4: A Promise Remembered

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**A/N:** Hey guys. Another chapter for ya.

Got it out as quickly as I could, but per usual: I'm swamped, I'm tired, work is work, and I can't make a living off of my stuff here. That being said, I tried to work quickly as well as diligently.

**Author's Note:** Due to some valid constructive feedback, I went ahead and did some editing on Chapter 3 before I forgot. Feel free to reread that… or don't. Or wait until the story is done to do a reread as I'm going back through and actually editing the whole thing. Either way. There is some stuff that will reference back to this chapter, so I do recommend a reread regardless.

This chapter is tame by comparison to the last chapter, but it will pick up. Promise.

_**Review Responses:**_

-Allen Blaster: Working on three stories dude. Adam can suck it up, or feed the worms. I'll leave the method of his demise up to your vivid imagination ;) All seriousness though, I am working on three different chapters of three different stories, and it's a long, grueling process between each of them. Some slack is requested, especially since I'm a certified insomniac with inflexible hours and a questionable sleep schedule that screams for change but lacks the motivation to do anything about it :)

Yeah, Rude is... rude.

-FanficsOP: Thank you! Hopefully it still gets better.

-Mr. Ursine: Yeah, I couldn't imagine their encounter going down any other way (... maybe more terror? More exploding monkeys? ...)

-Invictus Icarus: I just write, but that's... deep. Not sure how else to describe it, because I only do what I feel is natural. Still, thanks for making it hard to respond to the praise. :D

-starpana: I can tell you now that the Sequences themselves will be more than three-parts. More like seven. Maybe eight. If I feel dissatisfied, I'll shoot for nine. Glad to know it was worth a reread!

-Golem XIV: Thanks. Great to read from ya again.

***End of Responses**

Disclaimer: *que Mission Impossible theme song* *cuts off theme less than two second through, realizing that another disclaimer has to be written to post it* *curses bad luck with disclaimers*

**Read and Review pretty please**

Without further ado. *Que the dimming of the lights*

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Magicks That Bind:

Chapter 4: A Promise Remembered

Beast Boy stood up, walking partially into the dark before he squatted down. With the firelight in her eyes, Raven could just make out the outline of a box or trunk. He shuffled around for a little bit before he got up with something in his hands and moved deeper into the darkened space.

Raven's ears perked as the sound of water began to trickle, stopping after a few seconds. When he came back into the fire light, he had a couple tin cups in one hand and a metal percolator in the other, with a couple small logs nestled between the crock of his arms and his chin.

Still silent, he set the percolator at the fires edge and the cups off to the side, before situating the logs in the fire with care. A few seconds later, the flames crackled as they tasted the new fuel. He finished by setting the percolator atop the logs as if they were a grill grate.

He sat back down, his knee bouncing nervously. "Um… just wanted to make something to drink," he explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sooo… where do ya want me ta start?"

"How 'bout the moment you left," she suggested, picking her bowl back up. She took careful notice that he didn't pick his back up. Still, her mind swam with the confusion. _'He just ate fish,'_ she thought carefully, trying to somehow line up this Beast Boy with the Beast Boy she knew. She was having a harder time than she wanted to admit.

"Well… not a lot happened the first couple months," he explained, sitting on his hands as they began fidgeting absently. "I mean, mostly it was just me travelling. I uh… I didn't really care where I went, I just… needed to get away." His ears deflated slightly as he looked at the fire. "I just kept moving."

Raven nodded. She figured as much, having unconsciously kept track of his progress during that time.

"I was hunting in some of the wilder areas in New York," he explained, scoffing slightly to himself, "if you could call it hunting. But… I ran into a… well, a guy like me. A shapeshifter."

_'The Wolf,'_ Knowledge reiterated, catching up slightly. _'And the pups.'_

"He let me stay with him and his family for a bit." He looked back up at her, excitement twinkling in his eyes. "I met the Big Bad Wolf himself. He was cooler than I thought he'd be."

Raven raised a hand, her eyebrow scrunching. "The Big Bad Wolf?" she asked. Beast Boy nodded. "Like "Little Red Riding Hood" Big Bad Wolf?" He nodded again. "Isn't that a fairy tale?"

Beast Boy's smile widened, exposing his fangs as he chuckled. "A Fable, actually," he quipped.

She didn't get it. _'Clearly some private joke,'_ Envy growled.

"Yeah, I stayed with him, his wife, and their kids for a little bit," he continued, clearly drawing on some of those memories. "I think for a few days? But… I lost control. More than once. Someone got into my head, and I… I just felt…." He pulled his hands out from under his thighs to look at them, clearly unsure what he felt before he whispered, "Someone got into my head."

_'Me and Martian Manhunter entering his mind,'_ Raven thought, keeping track of the relative timeline. She wanted to explain her involvement, but decided it was best to let him finish.

"After that, I started looking for a place to disappear to," he explained, his hands almost reflexively seeking out the fire. "Figured that if there was one place no one would look for me, it would be in one of the Brain's old forts." He gestured around vaguely. "Under the radar. Abandoned. Little-to-no contact with people. Defensible if need be."

Raven looked around, trying to imagine what could make this place so appealing… but in a strange way, she admired the choice. It was everything he had set out to achieve. She wouldn't have thought twice about him approaching any of the Brain's old structures. "So… why did you need to get away at that point?" she asked, taking a sip of her food. It was much cooler now, but didn't taste as good lukewarm.

"To train," he answered. "To study."

Raven accidently inhaled in surprise, taking some of her food with it. A full round of coughing and hacking escaped, her chest heaving as she tried to breathe. She was vacantly aware of a hand patting her on the back, a few calming words that she couldn't hear over her own obnoxious coughs.

After a few steady, but ragged breaths, she managed, "You… study?"

She could practically feel him rolling his eyes. "It's not like I'm studying judicial law, Rae. I just had to keep myself busy somehow."

She frowned, setting her offending bowl away. "What did you study?"

He smiled slyly, quickly standing to offer her a hand. "Rather than tell you, I can show you," he stated cryptically.

She watched his ears wiggle excitedly before she accepted his hand up. He quickly reached down to pull the percolator from the logs, setting it in some overturned embers before he began dragging her along with all the patience of a five-year-old. _That_ reminded her of the old Beast Boy.

Without the firelight to impede her vision as he pulled her into the dark, her pupils expanded, bathing the outline of the hall he led her into with muted greys.

"Careful," he warned. "It's super dark so take it easy."

_'Right, he doesn't know I can see in the dark,'_ she thought. Well, best to rectify that. "Um, I can actually see, Beast Boy."

He stopped, turning to look at her, his own eyes shimmering red across his sclera from some unknown light source. "Oh, sorry." His hands nervously dropped hers. "I didn't know."

She suppressed a smirk so he couldn't see it. She didn't know how good _his_ vision was in the dark after all. "It's okay. I just found out about it not too long ago."

She caught some of his own smirk as he turned back to lead the way. "Demon-vision. Nice! Hundred-twenty feet, penetrates magical darkness, turns into Blindsense sixty-feet when– _Ow!_"

Raven flicked his ear. "This isn't one of your stupid video games, Beast Boy."

"Tabletop RPG," he corrected under his breath. "And it's not stupid."

_'Right. He doesn't know that my hearing has improved either,'_ she thought. Oh, the things he thought he could get away with. _'Wait. What in the Nine Hells is a tabletop RPG?'_

"Sooo…," Beast Boy began as he led her further down the darker halls, rubbing his ear between his fingers. "… when I first showed up here, I was just kinda hiding out. Bu-ut… then some interesting stuff started happenin– well, stuff already happened. I just sort of started noticing it."

He turned into an equally dark room, prompting Raven to follow. He moved to the side, fiddling with something on the wall. All at once, the room turned painfully white.

"_Ah!_ Beast Boy!" Raven growled as her hands flew up over her face, her eyes blinded by the sudden increase in light.

"Oh shit! Sorry!" She felt his hand on her shoulder, letting her know where he was. "Sorry. Didn't think to warn you."

"Well obviously," she bit, crossing her arms as she waited for her closed eyes to adjust to the brightness blaring through her lids. "Where are we anyway?"

She felt him deflate slightly, just before his emotions sprung back to life. "Well, then open your eyes," he teased, his breath tickling by her ear.

She rolled her eyes through her lids before letting them inch open, her vision blurry at first, but growing sharper. The room was larger than Raven had anticipated. Isolated labs stretched out before her: cages of one-way atmospherically contained glass rooms, computer monitors, chemical lab stations, the works. And most of them looked like they hadn't been dusted in… well, years. There were also unspeakable discolored dried somethings or other on the insides of some of those glass cages.

"Nice," she commented sarcastically at one cage that looked like green and brown sludge had exploded all over the viewing glass before it dried.

What caught her attention though was the single glass cage and monitor pair that looked sparkly-shiny clean save for the large cracked hole in its side, along with the cleaned and semi-organized lab not far from it. A large tripod-mounted camera appeared to be set up outside the glass, facing inward. In the center was an actual cage: like what one would expect to see an animal transported in. The barred walls were bent outward. Coupled with the broken glass, it was safe to say something didn't like being in there.

"Don't mind the mess. Never really had time to clean up everything," Beast Boy stated, walking toward the cleaner setup. "As I was saying; old ability, new features. So, while I was training, I also started recording and studying any changes I noted. To be honest, I still don't understand anything."

Raven looked back at the containment room, then back at Beast Boy. "You studied yourself?"

His head bobbed in a so-so gesture. "Nowhere near as equipped or as smart as Cy, but I remember a lot from my parents work. I don't understand all the technical mumbo jumbo, but I know enough to make one of those boring ol' written reports." He sniveled in disgust.

"That was a long time ago Beast Boy," Raven commented, watching him carefully. He was mentioning his parents so casually, especially after the incident near the waterfall; she didn't know what to think. Some things never changed, apparently, that included his ability to mask his emotions. But something felt… different. She still felt his… sadness. Even though it felt muted.

He just chuckled lightly, tapping his temple with a finger. "That's one of the things I noticed too: Remembering stuff lately has been a lot easier. Plus, I read a pamphlet on how to use all the equipment."

Raven gave him an odd look before she realized that he had been joking. "Funny," she stated dryly before turning back to the containment cell. "So what was the cage for?"

"For me."

Her eyes widened as she looked back at him. "Gar–"

"It's okay, Rae," he assured softly. "Like you said, it was a long time ago. The first couple times were… hard. But it got easier. Besides, I needed it to help me train."

"Help you train?" she asked, no less concerned even with his reassurances. How could she be reassured when the two dead men she _actually _wanted to murder the most, put her friend in a cage when he was younger? Whatever was going through his head, or whatever training he had subscribed himself to, obviously it worried him enough to return to a fraction of that hell he had been subjected to.

"Yeah. Couldn't exactly go full Beast Mode without insurance." He looked back at the cage and glass with a wince. "First few times I tried ta… you know… let it out, nothing happened."

Raven looked at him critically. "Why would you just "let" it out?"

He shrugged. "I don't think it's bad," he explained solemnly. "It's just a part of me that needed… help. Guidance. Understanding. Just because it feels like a separate being sometimes, doesn't mean it's not me. I just… needed to learn more about myself. Who I am. Having control doesn't always mean putting it on a leash. Sometimes it's just about letting it be a part of me."

"What triggered _that_ then?" she asked, gesturing to the hole in the containers.

"_That_, was my first successful transformation. I'd been trying a lot of… what's it called? Stimuli?" He looked up at the lit ceiling with a confused expression on his face before shrugging. "Something to help ground me. It, uh… didn't go as planned, but it was successful. Plus, once it– _I_, got out of the cage, I mostly just explored for a bit. But I still wasn't fully conscious of my actions. It was more like a dream."

Raven nodded, walking over to the computer monitor. With a couple clicks to the mouse, the screen buzzed to life. "And you recorded your work."

"Yeah," he said nervously. "Figured if I went back to the Tower, Cy would like some data to work with. Didn't want it to seem like I forgot about any of you guys."

She noted the air of guilt that floated around him but decided not to make a comment about it. It had been a while and she didn't exactly want to scare him off… yet; not when he was talking to her. Really talking. "So, what stimuli triggered it?" she asked, not having to work hard to sound interested.

He smiled in a way that made her question her asking; so somber. "Music," he said, smiling fondly. "I was able to trigger a full transformation through music." Before she could ask, he continued. "Not specifically music itself, but the emotions it can… ya know… stir up. After that, it was just a matter of using it as a focal point."

"Music?" She almost wanted to snort at how ridiculous it sounded, but didn't. She controlled her abilities through breathing exercises and a mantra; not like she had a lot of room to talk. She absently looked at the computer files, noting that they were all video icons. They were organized, clearly by the dates and times they were recorded. For some reason, some of them had little asterisks marked in the name.

"Bookmarks," he explained. "For the more important stuff."

"Like?" she asked.

He gently pulled the mouse away from her before double-clicking on one of them. Whether she liked it or not, his shoulder bumped into hers, sending a strange feeling down her spine. She must have really been on edge.

_A Beast Boy on screen appeared, sitting down in a foldable chair, looking exhausted_. Raven measured his appearance with the Beast Boy next to her and the one she remembered, finding facial traits reminiscent of both, like he was caught in-between his metamorphosis to the current him.

_"Day 23 at the Brain's Labs," the on-screen Beast Boy said, putting a hand to his face. "It's been a couple weeks since I started training. I can lift somewhere around three-hundred pounds now."_ Raven looked at the toned arms he had then, before side-glancing at the current Beast Boy.

_'What could he lift now?'_ she wondered, before quickly thinking, _'Not a word Brave.'_ The emoticlone in question clopped her mouth shut, but was smirkin none-the-less.

_"I tried figuring out my max sprint speed again, but I still don't have an accurate way to measure it, so… no idea. Faster. That's about all I have." The changeling chuckled, his eyes stretching open before blinking tiredly. "Um, new biological traits are becoming more noticeable now that I'm paying attention. Found out that I don't need to metabolize faster to burn venoms and poisons out of my system. I'm immune. Like a honey badger, or mongoose. Found that out when I got bit by a pit viper stupid enough to bite… right before I crushed its head."_

_The on-screen Beast Boy seemed to clear up for a moment. "Um… tried testing a sample of my blood versus some of the more… deadly venoms: coagulants, blood-thinners; ya know, the hemotoxins. I mean, come on! Even friggin' cytotoxins and neurotoxins. Nadda! Zilch! Even tried," he rubbed his eyes gently, "direct injection into the bloodstream. No adverse side-effects. So making a note from here on out that any animal-based toxins appear to have no effect. Signing off." His hand reached up to the side of the camera and turned it off._

Raven stood there for a moment, processing what she had seen and heard. "So you're immune to poisons?"

Beast Boy turned around to lean against the computer desk next to her, eyes narrowing at the wall. "Among other things. I've been testing out what I could here. But animal toxins versus synthesized toxins are another thing. Didn't really want to test that out."

"But you injected yourself with venoms… as a test?" she raised an eyebrow, trying to convey the level of stupidity that entailed. She wasn't going to be mad at him. Did it irritate her so much she wanted to strangle him? Absolutely. But he was alive and right in front of her; that mattered more.

"Not my dumbest idea," he pointed out with a raised eyebrow of his own. "Remember the time Cy dared me to eat a tablespoon of cinnamon." His tongue flicked out as his face scrunched. "I couldn't even look at a snickerdoodle for months."

"Fair enough," she conceded. "So… what else can you do? At least, what's new?"

"You could just watch the videos, Rae," he offered.

"But I want to hear it from you," she stated back, making sure she at least looked attentive. If he started rambling off… well, there was no guarantee her old "ignore Beast Boy" habits wouldn't kick back in.

"You mean besides being able to shed my skins or pelts like a lizard, or gaining a little control over my inner Beast, or poison immunity?" She nodded. "I'm not actually sure, Rae." His answer was soft, almost a whisper as he looked at his palm. "I'm not sure what all I can do. Most of it just starts popping up instinctively, like I should know what I'm capable of, but at the same time, I haven't got a clue.

"I just feel… like I've only scratched the surface. Like some part of me, deep down, feels…." He didn't seem to know how to finish.

"Like a bucket of water compared to a well," she said, just as softly, feeling something of her own powers build in response. "But the deeper you go, the more dangerous it gets. Like–"

"There's a bottom, but there isn't a limit," he finished, looking at her in understanding. "No matter how much you fill or empty the bucket, there's always water to draw from. And the deeper you go, the more likely you'll drown because of it."

"Yeah." It was funny, that was something she thought no one would understand besides her. It wasn't a special feeling. It was just a part of self-realization; just how much untapped potential either of them had. The knowledge that what either of them could do or become; it was scary when put into context like that: That either of them was limitless.

"I can't even begin to understand what's changed about me," he stated before huffing in annoyance. "It's like going through puberty all over again! I'm changing, but I can barely keep track of how or why!" He ran his hands roughly back and forth through his hair, causing it to dishevel in a poof.

"That's an image," she commented, doing her best to keep a smirk off her face. "So you spent this time trying to train and figure out what you can do? Shouldn't it be… I don't know… _cool_ to learn more about your powers?"

He sighed, turning to look her in the eye. "Sometimes. But I'm not really human, and I'm not really animal. I'm neither… and both. So… it's mostly me just figuring out what the hell I am."

She wanted to argue with him, to tell him that he was human. But she wasn't exactly human either, even if she looked like she was. That thought was kind of depressing.

"Come on," he said, patting her gently on the shoulder. She wasn't disappointed with the subject change. "Let's go back to the fire. Food's probably already cold."

He waited for her to follow before he shut down the lights, leaving the computer monitor as the only source of light. He waited for her eyes to adjust before he began leading the way back to his small camp.

"So," she started up, feeling weird to be the one instigating the conversation, "you eat fish now."

He nodded, though she could feel humor dripping from him. "I get hungry too easily now. Probably an increase in my metabolic rate, but plant-based proteins weren't cutting it anymore. Plus, with releasing my more primal side, it was harder to restrain the meat cravings." His aura darkened again, and Raven knew why. "I still hate meat… but… fish was the closest happy-medium I could find. It has a different taste and texture, so I can… eat it without too many issues."

It was quiet for a little bit longer as they made their way back to the camp room. Beast Boy immediately went back to the fire, checking the kettle he had set out. He sniffed slightly, his nose wiggling as he did so, his lips pursing before nodding to himself. Without any other prompt, he picked up the tin cups he had set down, handling the hot metal without so much as wincing as he poured a dark liquid into each of the cups.

"Here," he offered, lifting one up to her.

She looked down at the dirt brown liquid skeptically. "What is it?"

He just smiled slightly. "Try it and find out."

She rolled her eyes as she took the cup, sniffing it slightly. Her nose still wasn't bloodhound worthy, but she recognized the scent either way. "Coffee?" she voiced aloud, doing her best to hide her surprise.

"Yeah," he whispered, watching her with interest as she led her observation with her little nose inhaling in a couple quick sniffs. Interesting. "I promised ya didn't I?"

Before she could take a sip, she looked back up at him, unable to hide her surprise. "What?" Her face was priceless, but Beast Boy was more worried about something else.

"Oh God," he muttered worriedly. "Tell me I wasn't actually dreaming when I offered to make you coffee. I mean, you did say to wait until I was better. And granted, I was thinking we'd be sitting on the roof of the Tower, but I figured here was about as quiet and remote as you could get! Was I dreaming?! Shit! I messed up!" His hands were practically tearing out his hair as he messed it further up. He was going to go bald at this rate.

Raven was caught off guard for a moment before she looked down at the cup in her hands, the warmth seeping into her fingers pleasantly. She'd forgotten all about that. Four months later, and it hadn't even registered that she _should_ remember that.

_'He remembered,'_ Happy voiced softly, her lips blubbering slightly. _'He remembered that he was gonna make us a cup of coffee.'_

_'Idiot,'_ Hope muttered.

Raven decided to respond in kind, scooting over next to him as he continued to berate himself, being super careful not to spill her drink. Sharply, her knuckle rapped the side of his head, causing him to stop his rant as he turned to look at her.

"You couldn't dream me up even if you wanted to," Raven quoted slyly, hiding a smile behind a sip of brew. It was as delicious in real life as it was in their head. "You lack the imagination." The mixed flavors of spices was different than it had been in their head, but even he had said that the blend was different each time.

His face was shocked for a moment, before a relieved smile began to ease onto his face. "Good to know your opinion of me is as terrible as ever," he quoted back.

"Shit!" she cursed, lowering her coffee as she stared down into the mug, a new realization dawning on her.

"What?!"

"Of course," she growled, glaring daggers at her drink. "I could have found you that way."

"Um, what?" he asked again, more confused.

"Follow the coffee trail," she said, like some bad special crimes TV show. With a heavy sigh, she lifted her cup back up, taking another sip. "I should have known you'd still be ordering Lamumban spiced coffee. Of course, I didn't realize." She exhaled sharply to herself. She'd been so focused on finding him with magic, that the most mundane way to find him hadn't even occurred to her, because not even her friends would have thought about it. Only she knew about the coffee after all.

One hand pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation, taking several deep breaths before she approached a semblance of calm. "Figures."

He just looked at her in bewilderment, one eyebrow raised as he took a drink of his own. Not exactly an ideal way to hang out, but if she needed to process some stuff… he just shrugged as he watched her, waiting for her to develop questions. He'd want to know where she'd been if she had suddenly disappeared.

That thought made him blink sharply, shaking his shaggy head to keep those thoughts dislodged. Of course, he did have questions of his own, but he owed her the chance to let her get through hers first.

She huffed, taking a deeper sip as she stared into the crackling fire. "So, you don't know what all you can do?"

"Not really. Even if I can do it, I still only have a basic understanding of some of it, and even then, it doesn't always make sense," he answered patiently. "It seems most of my… changes… are based from animals. Nothing shocking there." As if demonstrating his point, his second set of claws flexed from his knuckles, just before a white spark danced between two of his hairs.

She stared for a moment before nodding. "So… can I ask some questions?"

"Been waiting for 'em all morning," he chuckled.

"What was that thing you did?" When he gave her a confused look, she amended, "That thing you did to the snake?"

"Oh, that." He was neither excited nor disheartened as he put down his cup, before putting two fingers from each of his hands on either side of his larynx, massaging his throat gently before inhaling deeply. His mouth opened slightly, exposing his lower fangs, but no apparent sound came out. Instead she watched as the base of his throat vibrated, and her chest immediately began trembling, her heartbeat skipping as her body began to feel an emulation of fear. It stopped suddenly, leaving her blinking in surprise as the adrenaline kicked in too late in the game, leaving an irritant buzz behind.

"It's a low frequency growl or click," he explained, picking his cup back up, thumbing the rim of it thoughtfully. "You can tell entire species apart just by the unique sounds they make, and as far as I can tell, mine is completely unique. I guess it hits a frequency that just makes other creatures feel afraid just by physiological association."

"What do you mean unique?" she asked, while simultaneously thinking, _'That's a big word for him to be using.'_

"As in, no other creature on the face of the Earth can use their vocals like that," he stated. "Some can hit lower frequencies like me I think, especially whales and porpoises in water, but they can't get the same result. I think the closest animal that comes close to what I do is when an elephant rumbles. Now that shit is terrifying." He looked more excited by the prospect than terrified.

_'That's sobering,'_ she thought. No other creature could actively weaponize their own natural vocals? And yet, Beast Boy could do just that, at will.

"So, you're an Apex among apexes?" she wondered aloud. "It seems natural that you'd make a sound that no other animal can make. You could kick anything's ass."

He snorted humorously, taking another drink. "Yeah, I was totally looking to be the kingpin over all animal hierarchy. The _head honcho_! The _big boss_!" He smiled in amusement at his deeper attempts at falsetto. "What else?"

She furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "Why did you lick me?"

The cough that exited his nose caused a stream of coffee to flow with it, his hand shooting up to his face to block the embarrassing, and embarrassed, scene. After all, turnabout was fair play. "W-what?" he coughed, doing his best not to choke on air as the scalding from his coffee slowly healed inside his nose.

"Why did you lick me?" she asked again, hiding her amusement behind calm.

"Oh," he muttered nervously, his fingers tapping along his cup as red began to creep into his skin tone, "that."

"Yeah," she confirmed, an eyebrow raising. "_That_."

He swallowed, chuckling nervously as a hand began to scratch the back of his neck. "I- uh- may have drenched you in a pheromone tag."

Her eyes narrowed again. "May have?"

"Um…." He was still fidgeting nervously, finally settling on sitting on his hands again. "… some animals release biochemicals for varies reasons and from… varies places on their bodies," he replied jumpily, his knee starting to bounce where his hands were still. "Again, totally unique. Um… it's a lot like a cat or a deer, but… I tagged you when I licked you."

Her face was completely passive. "And what was _that_ tag supposed to do?"

He gulped. Never a good sign. "It was supposed to let other animals know that… you're mine." He winced at how lame, possessive, and suggestive that sounded. "Don't worry, it's not like _that_! I was just trying to make sure no other animals attacked you! Of course, that assumes that animal in question uses its sense of smell, which didn't really work with the caiman since it was all "bite first, smell later"! But then you got lost in the rain and then it helped me find you and I didn't know what else to do soRaepleasedon'tkillme!" At some point, his hands had left their shelter under his thighs, waving frantically before instinctively moving to protect his face.

He waited for several seconds before daring to drop his hands. All he saw was a stone-faced sorceress staring passively at the floor next to him, her cup quivering in her hands. "That… explains the smell when you licked me," she whispered, obviously fighting a battle in her head. However, what looked like a brewing storm of anger to him…

_'Oh. My. Azar,'_ Rude exasperated. _'Does he ever think things through?'_

_'Obviously not,'_ Temperance sighed, both emotions glancing at a few of their more overwhelmed sisters.

_'Though it was a good idea,'_ Knowledge countered, before huffing. _'_If_ he hadn't told us. Strange as it is, the pheromone tag and his own scent are a bit different.'_

_'We did ask though, so he answered,'_ Envy stated, her smirk wide as could be. _'And he was honest. Bonus points for him.'_

_'What does this mean?!'_ Passion shouted from down below. They were all currently sitting in the gladiatorial coliseum that was Brave's realm. The purple hued emotion was pacing back and forth, clearly overthinking the entire conversation.

_'It means we're Beastie-boo's,'_ Happy giggled before she stopped suddenly, floating on her back midair. _'But what _does _that mean?'_

_'That's what I just asked,'_ Passion fretted. _'Does that mean we're… "_a thing_"?' What does _that_ even mean? But this is coming from a guy with access to every animal instinct on the planet! Does that mean we're…?'_ She swallowed nervously, clearly unable to finish that line of thought.

_'Nooo!'_ Timid sobbed. _'That's not fair!'_

Rude groaned irritably. _'We, as a whole, are idiots. He even explained why he did it, and we're still second-guessing ourselves.'_

_'Comes with the territory,'_ Knowledge stated. _'Emotions are fickle that way. Besides, he didn't use a mating tag.'_ All emoticlones stopped and turned to Knowledge pointedly. _'What? He didn't. He just used a basic scent tag to let animals know that he was present. Different pheromones, girls! Get your heads out of the gutter.'_

Happy sputtered huffily, while Passion crossed her arms with a pursed frown, and Timid calmed. Clearly signals were way too easily mixed. And this reflected splendidly as Raven looked back up at Beast Boy.

"Don't _ever_. Do _anything_. Like _that_. Again, without my expressed permission," she gritted out, making sure she got her point across. "Got it!"

Beast Boy wasn't sure what was going on in her head, but obviously he had made her angry. "Yeah!" he squeaked spectacularly. "I got it."

He swallowed nervously, looking down at his coffee. This was sooo not the way he envisioned their coffee hang-out going. Deep down, he knew it was his fault, but he was trying, and trying really hard.

"Good," she muttered, before the tension visibly fell from her shoulders. "I know you didn't mean it like _that_. It was just… surprising."

He nodded slowly. "If it makes you uncomfortable, Rae, it's fine to let me know." His smile suddenly came back. "Besides, this is good. At least my _eau de musc_ doesn't have any weird effects."

Raven's gaze shot up to his in pure confusion. "What does _that_ mean?"

He unconsciously shivered, his face not so amused anymore. "Let's just say, the feistier sex hasn't left me alone in a while. So it's kinda nice to know that my powers of animal magnetism aren't all-affecting."

"Animal magnetism?" she questioned slowly. Her chest jolted slightly as air expelled violently from her nose, catching in intervals. It took a moment for her to notice, but she was… chuckling? At something Beast Boy had said? Impossible! And yet, her chest continued to heave as she forced her mouth closed, unable to stop her body from rocking at the thought that… he had animal magnetism, much less any form of magnetism. Another round of barely contained laughter escaped through her nose. While she was fighting the Happier variant of herself, Envy wasn't so amused.

_'Oh Hells no! I will kill a bitch! I will pepper her so full of holes, she won't know which one to shit out of! I'll–'_

"It's not funny Rae!" he exclaimed, pouting as he folded his arms like a five-year-old. He still couldn't hold back the elation he felt at seeing her trying to contain herself. But still, this was serious. Gah! He was so conflicted right now! "You try walking through the jungle and have a river dolphin wink at _you_." He shivered again, holding himself tighter. "Or that caiman that was very clearly sending me signals that she wanted me come back to her dirt mound.

"Or that python that tried to "wrap things up" with me." He shivered again, looking absolutely mortified. "And then there was the jaguar that wanted to "exchange spots"." Yeah, he was absolutely hating everything about this conversation, and it only made Raven heave harder. The worst part was, he wasn't even trying to be funny. It was traumatizing! And _she_ was heaving it up. There were other reasons he hated it besides the obvious; but after a few moments he couldn't help the stupid grin that began to emerge on his face.

Raven understood what was happening to her, but she couldn't find the willpower to care. She was barely containing her laughter. Barely containing a torrent of turbulent and destructive power. And she was enjoying it at Beast Boy's expense.

_'It's not that funny,'_ Knowledge spoke up. _'If his evolution is anything noteworthy, then it stands to reason that every female, regardless of species, he encounters can sense that he has superior genetics to pass along.'_

_'Well, I can see why,'_ Passion purred as she observed Beast Boy in nothing but his sweats, wiggling her eyebrows at Rude.

_'Just because I felt how good his shoulders were, doesn't mean anything,'_ Rude countered, earning her looks from her sisters. _'What?! They did feel good! And soft! And _reeeeally_ tense.'_ She had a wicked smile on her face as she shuddered that "really", reminiscent of Envy's, if the lime-green emoticlone wasn't so busy hurling obscenities and threats of bodily and psychological harm.

Raven's heaving eventually began to abate, especially when she looked up to see Beast Boy smiling pointedly at her. And just like that, her body ceased. She'd been caught. Holding back laughter no less. And Beast Boy was the one who caught her.

She cleared her throat sharply, still unable to fully stop the corner of her mouth from twitching as she tried re-pacifying her visage. A game of cat-and-mouse that had lasted for over five years, and she'd lost over something so stupid. He'd _seen_ her laugh; even if it was nothing more than nasally chuckles.

"You saw nothing," she stated in her deadpan, watching him pointedly as his smile didn't lift.

"Nope," he denied smugly. "I saw everything. And I get to keep it up here…." He tapped his forehead. "…forever.

"Look at the bright side, Rae," he continued happily as he lifted his cup back up. "It was only me who saw it."

Her passive face faltered from a moment as she thought about the horrors that could ensue if that knowledge ever made it back to… well, anyone. "You won't–"

"The public will never know," he stated reassuringly, before smiling his own wicked smile. "But that doesn't mean I won't tease you when there's no one else around."

She frowned. "You weren't even trying to be funny," she protested.

"But you still laughed," he pointed out, obviously basking in his victory.

"_Garfield Mark Logan_," she hissed, four eyes emerging on her face as the shadows deepened. "_If you ever mention it again, I will personally disembowel you before spit-roasting you over the fires of the Phlegethon_."

He frowned at her, otherwise unfazed. "I promised that I wouldn't bring it up in public, and I won't. That doesn't mean I'm gonna let _you_ forget about it. This is progress, Rae. You didn't even blow anything up."

Right. She hadn't blown anything up. _And_ she'd used his full name. She wasn't supposed to know his full name. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice.

"Do you even know how awesome it is to see you laugh?" he asked, taking her aback for a second as the shadows returned to normal. She honestly hadn't thought about it, not when her powers could go haywire. "It's more awesome than seeing a cat in a top hat doing an Irish jig on top of a laser-horned, fire-breathing unicorn prancing on a triple rainbow made of Skittles emerging from a cloud of cotton candy."

Wow. That _must_ have been pretty exciting. To him anyway. And maybe a kid or two _somewhere_. "I'll take your word for it," she said stoically, drinking her coffee.

_'But that does sound awesome, Rae-Rae,' _Happy protested. Of course, _she'd_ think that.

He sighed somewhat dejectedly. "I just wish you could see what I see, Rae," he replied softly, going back to staring at the fire. "Because yeah, seeing you laugh _is_ amazing."

She followed his gaze to the fire as well, wondering what could be so amazing about her laughing. Not that she'd done it since the first day they had become the Teen Titans. No wait… the last time had been when Cyborg and Beast Boy entered her head. So, she supposed it was rare. She reminisced a little, noting how the former Beast Boy had jumped at the chance to tell her jokes; and this one just shared a little about his experiences in the past few months, promising that only the two of them would know of her indiscretion. It wasn't always obvious, even to her, but he had matured.

And even she could admit to herself that she liked it; if only a little.

"Thank you," she whispered, bumping his knee with her own. Though whether she was thanking him for keeping quiet, or for the compliment, she wasn't sure.

"Your welcome," he whispered back, lifting the percolator in offering. She held out her cup wordlessly, and he began to refill it. For a moment, it was calm again.

"I have another question," she stated.

"Shoot."

"Can you change colors now?" she asked. "There was a man who said he saw a black jaguar with green eyes in the camp. I figured that was you." _'Because I know it was you,'_ she thought. _'I was in your head.'_

He shook his head before scooting away from her and setting his cup down. "Kinda-sorta. I can't change my color per-se, but…." He held out his arm, shifting it into large paw. She wondered what he was doing, until she saw the green darken, until it was as black as night. He turned it slightly, the near black fur shimmering green in the firelight. "… I can only alter my pigments when I'm shifted…." Then the green lightened, until it was a stark near-white. "… And only every value of green. Never truly white, or truly black. Just tints and shades. And never any hue but green. Believe me, I even tried to turn pink." His arm returned to leaf green before he shifted it back into his arm.

"I prefer the darker shades," he said as he shifted back to his spot next to her. "Makes it easier to stalk at night. I get to turn so green, I become the night."

She observed him again. "When could you do that?"

"When I realized that some of my forms had lighter and darker greens," he stated, rapping his knuckle against his own head with a goofy expression on his face. "I could've probably have done it this whole time, but it finally occurred to me that I could turn all fifty shades of green."

"Sounds like it took some of that "animal magnetism" to figure _that_ out," she mocked blandly. She was gonna get as much mileage out of that one as possible.

"_Har-har_, Rae," he retorted.

She wondered if he had set up that joke on purpose. Then again, she could only speculate, but thus far she wasn't able to tell if he had or not.

Regardless, she appreciated when it returned to silence. Neither of them needing to add to the moment, and nothing subtracting from it either. Maybe that was fine. Two friends that were catching up could now take a moment to enjoy their coffee. Coffee _he _made for them. That thought made her Happy. Even if she could (correction: "would") never express it, she could at least acknowledge it. There wasn't the sun setting into the western ocean of Jump City Bay, or the scent of a sea breeze that wafted through her cloak. No. Here the air was earthy and clean if not a little stagnant heavy. The view was dark, save for the crackling of a fire. The hole Beast Boy had made in the side of the structure didn't bother revealing the sunlight as the clouds from yesterday took point, threatening another rainstorm.

A gentle breeze shivered through the hole, causing her skin to prickle from the chill despite her cloak wrapped around her shoulders. She half-consciously moved toward the closest source of warmth, which incidentally happened to be the changeling, their legs now pressed together, exchanging heat instantly.

_'Bold choice,'_ Brave commented approvingly. _'If you're feeling cold, you could always lay your head on his shoulder and snuggle into that….'_ The emotion seemed to take a deep, shuddering breath. _'…Warm chest.'_

_'Wait! Can we snuggle? Please, Rae,'_ Happy begged pathetically.

_'He smells nice too,'_ Rage commented with a fanged grin. _'Like pine. And _blood_. It's hot.'_

_'Hold it! I noticed those muscles first!'_ Rude protested. _'You bitches back the Hells up!'_

Like she was _ever_ taking her emotion's suggestions into account.

"You cold, Rae," he asked, those green eyes washed with concern.

"A little," she replied, wrapping her cloak tighter around her. A small _crack_ drew her attention, immediately followed by warmth as something blocked the wind. She turned to find an enormous feathered wing walled around her as a heat curtain, the feathered edges held just above the ground. Of course, it was green.

She looked to her other side, Beast Bo– Garfield, his posture lopsided from the one wing that had grown from under his shoulder blade. He didn't say anything. He just continued to look at the fire as he poured himself another cup of coffee.

"You didn't have to," she whispered, her whole body bathed in a comfortable and insulated warmth. Like a cocoon.

"I know," he answered. "I wanted to."

Being so close to him now, after four months, a part of her felt as though he'd never left; never changed. Was that normal? To spend so much time away from someone and feel as though no time has passed at all? Raven didn't really know. She felt that way whenever she visited the kids, or when they visited; but with Garfield, it seemed… different somehow.

"Sooo… I have some questions," he said quietly, waiting for her to respond. When she nodded, he continued. "You said you were looking for me? How?"

Raven was hesitant, but she nodded again. "I used locator spells to try and pin down your location."

"Scrying? Nice," he commented, earning him an eyeroll.

"None of them worked," she continued. "At least, not accurately. Occasionally, I got visions of where you were through dreams, but nothing that told me where you were. The closest I came to finding you was… well, tracking you to _somewhere_ in the Eastern United States. I guess that was about the time when you were in New York."

"Dude, you had visions of me?" He smiled for a moment before it faded again. "You could keep track of me?"

"Never for long," she affirmed. "I saw a little bit here and there, but never enough to actually find you."

He shifted next to her, nervousness miraging off of him. How much could she tell him? How much would he understand? How much would he resent her for? The only reason she had been able to find him in the first place was because of a connection that had been created between the two of them. That was before though.

"I lost you," she stated, her mask slipping for a spare second before re-securing itself. "Two months ago, I lost any sign I had of you. That… person you said got inside your head, that was someone helping me find you. After that, nothing I tried worked. No spells. Not a single dream. You just… disappeared."

He was quiet next to her, unmoving, unflinching. She wanted to see his reaction, to see what he thought of her and the lengths she had gone through to find him. Was he ready for the full truth? Maybe. Maybe not.

"I thought I felt you," he whispered. She turned to see him contemplating something, glaring at the fire in thought. "Did you… were you fighting a–"

"Giant bipedal rat?" she asked, following his thought process. He just turned to her in shock, nodding carefully. "Yeah. I felt you too. The wolf pups." She gave him a weak smile for reassurance, letting that one phrase communicate just how much she had seen.

Beast Boy frowned slightly. "Sorry about your friend. When I heard them in my head, I fought back. I thought–" He didn't seem to have the right words to say, even as he processed what she was saying to him. "Is your friend alright? I don't remember everything that happened."

"You did a number on him," she confirmed, making sure to shift her leg a little into his for comfort. "But he'll live. I don't think he's had anyone fight back like that before."

Rather than be embarrassed at the compliment, she only felt his guilt. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to–" His mouth was pinched closed before he could continue talking. He looked down to see her pale fingers, following it all the way up her arm, and up to her violet eyes.

"Don't apologize," she stated firmly. "You defended yourself against an unknown assailant." She let go of him, watching just in case she had to drive her point home. Thankfully, he just nodded in acceptance, even if he wasn't over it. "I won't be able to explain it all, Be- Garfield. There's a lot I need to tell you, and most of it won't be pleasant to talk about. Could you ask a different question for now?"

Eventually, she'd have to talk about it; all of it. About the connection she had unintentionally forged with him. About the alterations that merging with him had done to her body. The fact that she had merged with him at all. She didn't want to think about it for now; she wanted to enjoy the fact that he was alive and well. And here. There would always be time for the details later.

He looked at her questioningly, but quickly let it slide as he found something else to ask. "You let your hair grow out." It was more observation than question.

She frowned as she reached back, drawing her fingers through her purple strands. It was well past her shoulders now; almost reaching halfway down her back. "I haven't had the time to trim it recently," she replied.

She felt his guilt for a moment before it did a completely wondrous one-eighty. "It looks nice."

Her cheeks heated as she turned away sharply. Her hair probably looked like a gerbil had nested in it. She hadn't cleaned up in a couple days, much less brushed it. Clearly Beast Boy was either sucking up, or delusional; and he sucked at sucking up. "Thanks."

She could feel his eyes scrutinizing her, doing just as she'd done to him; comparing the Raven he saw now with the Raven he remembered. "So… you traded the swimsuit for a full-body suit? Any particular reason for the costume change?"

"Leotard," she corrected between her teeth. "And yes. Cyborg made it, and the boots." She turned her leg slightly to demonstrate the shin-highs. "I was self-conscious, and it just seemed… weird to leave so much of my legs exposed. Plus it's light-weight body armor. A little more protection never hurt anyone."

She could still feel his eyes, almost analyzing her; like a predator searching for weakness in its prey. And yet, it felt similar to when she'd grabbed his face. He was memorizing her, committing her to memory. Updating his association as to who "Raven" was. It wasn't uncomfortable, just, intense.

"Well, it suits you," he said. He frowned as he looked up, chuckling to himself. "Pun not intended."

He was quiet all of a sudden, and Raven could feel his nervousness, as though he had been slowly winding up for this particular moment; using everything else as an icebreaker before diving in head-first.

"How is everyone?" he whispered, looking down into the fire again.

Raven breathed deeply, unsure where to start there. "A lot's changed. It would be easier to show you than for me to tell you." _'Subtle Raven. Real subtle.'_ She paused, finding a question she really wanted to ask now that it had come to this. "Will you come back?"

He seemed to ponder her question for a moment, and Raven held her breath; both in dread and anticipation. It was a question that held more loaded potential than many others she knew of.

"Garfield, come home with me." She was asking with everything she knew how to; somehow laced with every emotion that was relevant, and yet, unvested with emotion all the same. She didn't know if she could let herself feel Hope again.

"I don't know if that's up to you Rae," he whispered. "I didn't leave under the best circumstances."

"Are you kidding? Most of us took the chance to chew out Robin." She hesitated slightly, staring into the fire once more. "He's trying to change Garfield. He's been trying hard." She let herself feel some happiness when she thought about the wedding. Ugh! And now she was unhappy at the prospect of wearing a dress! "It hasn't been the same Tower without you there. Things have… changed. Some of it has been good, but the rest–

"_I_ would like it if you came back," she finished gently.

_'Awww! Rae, you do care,'_ Rude commented, quickly silenced by Raven herself.

She could try baiting him back, but somehow, looking at him now, she had the feeling that he was different. She didn't know how exactly yet, besides some of his newer abilities. It was best just to be honest. Maybe that would be enough to call him home.

"I'll think about it," he answered after a few uneasy seconds, the air almost visibly tense. "That's all I _can_ promise."

She couldn't blame him really. His last day at the Tower had been tense, trauma-filled, and a particular variance of brutal. Had it really been only twenty-four hours that day? Twenty-four hours to watch him fall apart at the genetic level. Twenty-four hours to barely glimpse what potential possibly lied within his genetics. And now here, four months later, to see him now. Somehow, those twenty-four hours felt like a lifetime ago. Who knows? Maybe it had been.

Not to mention his rather undignified fallout with Robin/Nightwing. There was that too. She could understand why he wasn't to keen on going back. Robin had been an asshole, on top of… a Dick.

She had to hide her humor behind a passive visage, lest she grant Garfield the satisfaction of watching her restrain her laughter again. Speaking of "restrain", she mentally made sure that Happy was bound and gagged properly.

His head suddenly shot up, the wing at her side bristling as his ears lifted on end like an alert dog. A low rumble reverbed through his chest, his bottom teeth slightly exposing themselves.

Raven looked around, wondering what had caught his attention. "What is it?"

"_Shhh!_" he shushed, his ears rotating in their sockets as they flicked in different directions. His chin raised as his nose lifted, pulling a couple gentle sniffs from the air.

She vaguely remembered that her own senses were enhanced, lowering and cocking her neck slightly as she rotated her head to listen. It was just quiet.

He frowned as his wing slinked back into the flesh of his back, leaning forward until he pawed around the fire on all fours, walking on his knuckles as his claws were drawn. Even his spine seemed to elongate to adjust to his new stance, the hairs of his mane bristling. His growling suddenly cut off, turning back to Raven sharply.

"We're leaving," he stated simply. "They already got our scent." He was already next to her, pouring the remaining contents of the percolator on the fire, effectively dousing it.

"What has our scent?" she asked, standing quickly.

"I should have known!" he growled angrily to himself. "Upset the balance and of course the rules change to create an advantage to a lesser species."

"Garfield, what are you talking about?"

He hastily pulled her to the hole in the wall, his eyes glaring into the jungle almost a quarter-mile away. "Hold on!"

She didn't know what the he was talking about, but that didn't matter in the next moment. Because he quickly pulled her into his body.

Rude was right. His muscles, specifically the chest he now held her to, was nice. And soft. And _really_ tense. She had to strangle Passion down with help from Rage, keeping any rosy tint from moving across her cheeks as she felt his heart beat pounding into her own chest. This was embarrassing, and Azar only knew why her heart rate was picking up.

Of course, that didn't matter. Because in the next moment, he jumped out of the hole and into open air.

And as it just so happened, he pulled her with him.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys, long time no read! I didn't exactly know where I was going with this chapter, only that I wanted something personal, and impacting. I hope I delivered that. Obviously I didn't go with the chapter title of "Evolution is Change". I decided to save it for later, and make it "A Promise Remembered" for another obvious reason.

I purposefully left most of Beast Boy's changes out of the picture. Why? For one, I'm still doing research. For two, I didn't want a twenty-thousand word chapter. For three, I felt it was best to leave that stuff for later, when it could be properly explored. Still, I alluded it to puberty, because essentially, that's what it is. Puberty the Second? Puberty-Point-One? Puberty Two-Point-Oh? Whatever. It's still a self-discovery process, and now Beast Boy has to go through it again.

When I took a moment to throw-back to the coffee promise in Sequence 1, I anticipated it actually happening at the Tower, until I made the decision to alter that course of thought. Having it now, when there both most receptive amidst confusion and an extended absence, with questions hanging between the two of them, it felt somehow... right? I hope it wasn't forced. It just seemed like if there was ever a time to do it, it was in the most unexpected way I could think of.

That does however, leave a hanging question. Will Beast Boy go back to the Tower?

And what Beast Boy have possibly have sensed?

Once again, this is a Rough Draft, so if there is anything that needs edited, or is connecting in a weird way for you guys, let me know and I'll try to clean up the text. I do accept grammar and spelling errors too. (*A copy and paste, but hey, some things are worth repeating for you fine folk*)

As always (and I'll just keep posting this because its true), keep posting your constructive criticisms, as they will help me know what to look for in my future writings, and for the days I decide to do a hard edit. A writer should never stop growing, and I have no intention of stopping now.

Please Read and Review, and Private Message if you're shy or prefer your inquiries to be... well, private. Please indulge my curiosity, and let me know what parts you liked, what parts need work, and overall what you guys think about it :D

Upcoming _Magicks That Bind_ \- Chapter 6: _Toppling a Pyramid_ (Probably won't be the final title, but its a start)


	6. Chapter 5: The Law of the Beast

Chapter 5: The Law of the Beast

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_**Edit**_** Response:** This is a chapter edit and re-post due to not wanting content from now to interfere with content that shows up later. Because it took so long to cover, I went ahead and just posted it alone instead of with the next chapter. The next chapter will be delayed (mostly because _the Witcher_ just came out on Netflix and I haven't had a chance to watch it... and I might re-watch _Dragon Prince_ now that I'm thinking about it), but I'll get it done when I can.

All Author's Notes for this chapter are copied and pasted, mostly because the only things worth adding are located directly in the story, so apologies if I'm not responding to any reviews in this chapter. Reviews will be responded to in the next chapter per normal.

On that note, I'd like to give a super special shout-out to _Invictus Icarus_ for (his?/her?) diligent approach to criticizing my work. Thanks again, for keeping me in character, for making sure I stay in line with my own Lore, for asking the tough questions, and for helping me ask myself the even tougher questions. :D Thanks again!

**A/N:** Hey guys. Another chapter for ya.

I would have gotten it out sooner, but I got caught up in another story, and I had to deal with another Divergent Scenario. I had my ideas written out before I started inputting the character element and I realized that Raven was too much of a hero to let someone else deal with this. That simplified things as I continued writing.

**_Trigger_ and Chapter Warnings:** This chapter _is_ rated M for the more graphic elements of animal violence, including decapitation, blood, disembowelment, and gore. If you're squeamish about this kind of stuff, and have a vivid imagination, I recommend caution or just skipping all together. Animals, by their very nature, are wild. And, having seen some of these more violent aspects before (if not the crueler aspects), I used mere demonstrations of natures own indifference the deadly nature of her denizens.

_**Review Responses:**_

-Mr. Ursine: Well, then hopefully I've delivered something new :D And maybe intriguing.

-Allen Blaster: Yeah, the suddenness of the last chapter should be explained in this one.

I figured a gentler approach was due before it got too serious. And trust, it will get serious really quick.

-Invictus Icarus: Glad you liked the chapter edit! Oof! I almost hate to give ya this chapter after all that sweetness, but contrast can actually deepen the intensity of a situation, and that's what I was going for.

As far as TT-RPG's? I'm undecided, but don't throw your laptop just yet.

The untapped potential is just my own personal thoughts and opinions on both Raven and Beast Boy's abilities. I won't delve too deeply for obvious reasons.

***End of Responses**

Disclaimer: It's snowing outside, so I left my disclaimer out there to chill. Fingers crossed I forget about it at it freezes.

But out of necessity, I must also point out that I do not own any media that may bare semblance to other media being used as further enrichment to the story.

**Read and Review pretty please**

Without further ado. *Que the dimming of the lights*

* * *

Magicks That Bind:

Chapter 5: The Law of the Beast

As aforementioned, Raven hated carnival rides, especially when said rides were operated by one green shapeshifter. And now said "ride" began simply by being pulled from perfectly safe and solid land, for a thirteen story drop below. There was only one appropriate response.

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_"

Very appropriate. Raven barely had time to latch onto the changeling before his flesh turned to a putty beneath her grasp, growing massive and coarse until she felt a talon lock securely around her waist and torso. With a flip, she was given a stark view of the fast approaching ground.

A piercing shriek sounded as a gale-force wing beat stopped their decent, smoothing out into a glide as they shot over the upper foliage of the rainforest. The near solid feathers above her braced the air, sending them sailing as he beat down once more.

"_Sorry_," he chirped apologetically, his raptor head cocking to look down at her. "_Are you okay?_"

"Garfield!" she Raged, seething as he continued to fly. "What the Hells?!" She was so angry, she didn't even notice the massive size of the bird in question, with a wingspan that easily rivaled fifty feet, each stroke given powerful voice through the rustling trees below. Technically speaking, there was no way he should have been able to leave the ground with so much weight. "What was that for?!"

"_We don't have time_," he responded, his eyes turning downward to scan the ground intensely, his enlarged pupil narrowing.

"Then make time!" she snapped again, growling in annoyance as an emotion-fueled puff of her power sent her hair whipping into her face. She spat, strands of her hair tasting nasty from shampoo and dirt.

She felt his feathers ruffle, and his head made a motion that suggested he was rolling his eyes.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me!" Azar, she was about two seconds from grounding this bird if he didn't start spilling. She was not taking his ambiguity after a stunt like that. And to think, they'd been getting along swimmingly.

He flapped a few more times to gain height before returning to a glide. "_I'm taking you back to the camp_," he stated in his bird-like voice. Raven was lost for a second as her surprise manifested. Never mind that he was willing to reveal himself.

"Why?!" she had to shout over the wind, gently curling her wind-torn hair behind her ear. Her stomach suddenly churned when his wings surged them forward again, leaving her insides pulling a good six feet behind her. Ugh, Azar! She was feeling sick. That fish mush she'd eaten was currently swimming circles in the coffee she'd drank. Her arm wrapped around one of the toes holding her, for stability as her porcelain skin turned an off-changeling-color. This was not how sorceresses were supposed to fly. Levitation. Flying staves. Hells, a _broom_ would be more appropriate. At least then, she'd have control.

"_Numbers_," he replied simply. When he didn't elaborate, and neither did Raven press as she tried to simultaneously breathe easingly through her nose and imagine what was so bad that he was willing to break his self-imposed "training". He'd all but panicked, whatever he'd heard or smelled instantly giving rise to the current situation.

_"They already got our scent."_ That's what he'd said. Raven's heartbeat found itself turning up a notch. She was no stranger to being hunted. Being half-demon tended to do that with the darker forces that be; especially when you were the daughter of one of the fastest rising greater demon lord in the history of demon anything. But the uncertainty of it now had her on edge. She didn't enjoy not knowing what was tracking her scent.

"_Craw!_"

Right. Just like she didn't enjoy flying like this. Her cheeks puffed slightly as a gag heaved in her diaphragm. "Ga– Garf–" she groaned heavily, slapping her other hand over her mouth. She quietly tapped one of the claws holding her, prompting him to turn his head underneath him.

When he saw her, he chirped in alarm, quickly looking down and around at the treetops below. She barely registered the shift as their height suddenly diminished, and the talons holding her turned into massive arms. They landed in the trees, a gorilla now swinging down to a branch as he grunted worriedly. Raven was busy trying not to lose her breakfast, coughing painfully as her insides gurgle like a boiling stock pot.

"_Ugh_," she moaned, "I hate flying."

Another series of grunts and huffs grumbled from the changeling as he began rubbing circles in her back with his enlarged thumb. "_Sorry,_" he apologized again, only half paying attention to her as he scanned the forest below them, "_but we need to go. Now_."

She looked at him, eyes half-pleading, "Can we take the ground route?"

He shook his great ape head. "_No. Flying means no external propulsion, no dodging trees, and no terrain to navigate. It's a straight-shot._"

Damn. She hated his logic. She was so caught up in her own head, she only just noticed the smirk of his exposed canines. "What?" she demanded.

"_Is Rae-Rae afraid of flying?_" he teased. "_Pretty ironic since one of your powers is flight_."

_'The only thing that's ironic here is you using the term "ironic",'_ she thought defiantly.

"Yeah, on my terms," she snipped. "I've never flown open-aired on someone else's terms before."

He nodded, lifting her up over his head and resting her on his shoulders before she could protest. For all her dignity was worth, she _did_ yelp in surprise. "_We're still flying,_" he stated resolutely, his genetics rearranging once more beneath her,_ "but hold on tight all the same. We're still not making a habit of me playing "Horse", remember?_"

She bit back the retort that threatened her lips as she conceded his point. But that didn't mean she would let it slide. She grabbed a handful of his neck-fur-turned-feathers as he shot past the treetops again. In less than a second, he was a giant raptor again.

Her stomach still churned unpleasantly despite the far more comfortable change in seating. But the thought of Beast Boy's face if she upchucked over him was just enough to balance out the more unpleasant feelings… right before his wings launched them forward again. She held on tightly, her face once more pressed into his back as the wind whipped at her hair and cloak. Even trying to sit up to see where they were going was precarious, the force of their speed threatening to send her "flying" in a not-so-comfortable manner. Despite her displeasure at the circumstances, his haste and tangible worry were enough to stay her questions for now, and settle any arising discomfort.

But somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt like something was wrong; as though his reactions were rippling a strange aura from him. It wasn't unpleasant, but it gave Raven pause all the same. It felt neither dark nor light, neither dusk nor dawn. Not pleasant or comfortable, but not hostile or rough. It wasn't evil or good; kind or cruel. It was as if it existed and didn't at the same time.

But it was intense, and it swirled around him unmistakably, sometimes distributing a color that Raven barely perceived in her empathy before it faded once again. His other emotions weren't blotted out; his fear, anger, and despair matching his courage, hope, and passion in shear power that somehow leaked past her mental fortifications without damaging them. However, they weren't harming or impeding her thoughts. If anything, they wrapped protectively around her mind, creating a swirl of mystic energy at her center as they fueled her own powers.

However, the one that still poured from him belonged solely to him. It pulsed with his blood; riled in his veins; expanded with his breath; pounded with his heart. Never once did it leak into her mind. And that alone should have frightened her.

Because she didn't recognize _what_ she was feeling from him.

But that didn't matter. He was taking her back the camp. Deep at her core, she was still a hero, and if they were courting danger, that meant it would follow them. Without a word, she let herself slip loose from his neck, her powers keeping her airborne as he swerved from losing her weight.

"_Rae?_" he asked, trying and failing to hover solidly in place before he morphed into a much smaller and more manageable hummingbird to get closer. "_Rae, what's wrong?_" his smaller chirp asked.

"We can't go back," she answered, finding resolution take hold. "Whatever you sensed after us will only follow. We can't go back until its dealt with, otherwise, wouldn't everyone else be in danger?"

"_But if we go back, you're better protected,_" he countered, flitting back and forth anxiously.

It took her a moment to notice that something was missing from that inclusion. "Why just me?" she asked in confusion, looking deep into the small green bead of his eye. He turned, his bill swinging away as he looked slightly downward toward the treetops. "Why just me?" she demanded again, feeling her second set of eyes quiver.

With small sigh, he turned back to her, his eyes looking sad and regretful. "_Because they'll kill you if they catch you,_" he answered softly, looking back down again.

That… took a moment to process. Raven breathed deeply, still not quite getting the whole picture. "Why?" He didn't answer. "Tell me why?! I deserve to know."

"_Because they think we're a mated pair!_" he shot out. If a hummingbird could look angry and distressed, it did. _He_ did. "_I was stupid! I didn't think it through! But animals don't get that! I brought a pretty girl home, let her sleep in my den, and _I_ didn't think anything of it!_

"_Nature keeps a fine balance, and with someone like me strafing the top, it needs a way to keep my "species" in check. And for all anything knows, you're the female of _my _species! Which means if we're considered a mated pair in nature, everything and its step second-cousin's dog will be after you to prevent you from having any cubs…! Pups…?! Fledglings…? Beastlings…? Hellions…? What's a baby "_us_" called?_"

Raven blinked blankly at him as she tried and failed to keep the pink twinge from her cheeks. He looked so confused as he tried to figure that question out that he didn't even notice Raven's very visible existential crisis right next to him.

_'Oh shit, what _is_ a baby "_us_" called?'_ Envy asked, scratching her hood thoughtfully.

_'I bet it's something stupid, like a BebRay,'_ Rude stated before looking confused. _'A RayBeb? A RayGar? GarRay? Ooh! A Gray! A baby "_us_" is called a Gray! Hashtag Trademarked! We just need to add something cool on top of it to make it sound mysterious or deadly! Let's tell him!'_

_'No! NO! We are not thinking about this!' _Rage denied pointedly. _'We're being hunted, and you're talking about… ba– ba– ba–'_

_'Babies,'_ Knowledge finished, looking both flushed and perplexed before stating logically, _'It doesn't matter though. We're sterile.'_

_'It's a nice thought though,'_ Passion stated as she rolled over on her belly, supporting her chin on her hands as she gazed dreamily through Raven at the hovering hummingbird as she kicked her feet. _'We could do worse.'_

_'Come on, guys,'_ Timid mumbled resignedly as she collapsed to her knees, knowing deep down that she was never going to catch a break from the other emoticlones. She was so used to being shy and Timid by her sister-emotion's reactions, she wasn't even feeling her namesake at this point. "Numb" was the proper term in that case.

Before her thought process could escalate to leveling an entire country, Beast Boy spoke back up. "_Whatever! The point is: they want _you_! Because I was stupid! I should have just taken you back to camp! Instead, I scent tagged you, let you sleep in my den, fed you breakfast! All those stupidly romantic mate things animals do! GAAAAAHHHH!_"

He looked like he was having an existential crisis too now that he was voicing what was happening aloud. She was sure that if he didn't have to use wings to keep afloat in the air, he'd be ripping out his head feathers. Taking a deep breath, she flicked his beak, sending his head bobbling rapidly.

"Calm down," she ordered, by no means taking her own advice. "It's fine. We'll deal with it, and then go."

"_B-but, Rae this isn't like facing a villain. We'll have to–_"

"I don't need protecting, Garfield," she stated softly, shaking her head, "but I'm not about to put anyone else in danger for my sake. We've already been down this road before, remember?"

Reluctantly, the hummingbird nodded. How could he forget? It had been the End of the world.

"If something is after me, then I can't have someone else risk their safety for mine," she sighed, looking down into the thick leaves below her. "I'm facing it; like it or not."

She seized when she felt something land on her shoulder, turning to see a green tarantula looking up at her with eight humongous pitiful eyes. It might have looked cute, even if she couldn't see its large jaws. "_Whether you like it or not,_" he rasped, two hairy legs lifting rigidly, "_you _do_ need someone to protect you. But unlike last time, no one's taking you away._" Him thinking she needed protection frustrated her to no end; even as her shoulders lightened at his resolute words. She decided against making a comment as she began to float downward. "_Besides, you're always causing trouble._"

_'I resent that,'_ Rude mumbled mockingly.

The deeper down they went, the darker it got. With the sky covered in clouds and blotting out the sun, the canopy and understorey layers were patchy-dark, but the moment they fell under the undergrowth layer to the forest floor, it was basically pitch black with so much foliage overhead. Still, her eyes slowly adjusted, color eventually fading from her view in favor of differing greys that gave her a basic outline of her surroundings as she landed on decomposing leaves with a light shift.

Almost immediately, she felt the weight shift on her shoulder as the spider turned into a bat, pulling at her hair as it crawled on top of her head, its ears flicking as it listened. "Ow," she said belatedly.

She was only met by a small squeak as it nestled on her head. _'You're lucky you're cute sometimes, you little shit!'_ Rage smoldered, her cheeks turning a faded charcoal grey as they steamed.

Garfield suddenly began to release rapid high-pitched chitters, his wings widening with his stance on her head before hissing and popping.

As if answering some signal, moving shadows began to form at the edge of her vision, still half hidden in the spotty grey darkness before revealing themselves.

Seven jaguars stalked forward into her vision, padding silently on the leafy ground. They're splotched spots blended almost perfectly into the foreground, streaming with a graceful lethality that befitted an apex predator. Even as she eyed the cats, they walked around them, forming a couple layered circles that would prevent escape by normal means. Responding in kind, she stood at the ready, prepared to fight. The weight left her head, followed by something large and warm encircling behind her.

The changeling had morphed into a jaguar larger and greener than his counterparts, baring his teeth threateningly as his tail brushed her arm. With his larger size made evident, Raven noted that the other jaguars themselves seemed to vary in size.

_"He comes,"_ one growled, sending Raven swinging around at the voice. _Now_ her animal translating was working?! Figures. _"The Creature comes. The Predator."_

_"Yes,"_ another affirmed, humming softly. _"And he's brought a female."_

_"No more running Creature."_

Already Raven could feel the depth of difference between the monkey, the snake, and the jaguar's speech patterns. They were intelligent. Not derived solely from instinct, but laced with layers of predatory and social requirement befitting a carnivorous mammal.

A smaller jaguar sniffs as it walks past, hissing angrily. _"He has marked the female!"_

_"Is she his prey?"_ another demands, sniffing again. _"Or his mate?"_

_'Well, this sounds familiar,'_ Passion growled, even as Raven glanced down at her forearm. The Meta-Rat had asked the same question.

_"She smells of death. Fire. Ash."_

_"Abomination,"_ another hissed, earning a growl and a snap from Beast Boy, sending it hopping back a few inches.

"That's… a lot of jaguars," Raven said, voicing the obvious as she watched them circle around them. "I didn't know that they hunted in packs."

"_They don't_," Garfield stated coldly, green eyes shining red as they alternated between the big cats in question. "_Jaguars are solitary hunters unless they're mating, and even then, the male doesn't stick around. At most, you'd see a female with a few of her cubs._"

"Then why are there so many?" she asked.

He turned to look at her out of the corner of his eye. "_We're competition,_" he answered. "_And by "we", I mean "you". But since they think we– we–_" His ears flattened as they turned pink, small trickles of steam leaving his ear tuffs. He shook his head to rid himself of any weird thoughts. "_So, no offense, but you're kind of an invasive species to them, especially since I pulled a stupid._"

"Is that all?" Raven commented sarcastically.

"_No,_" Beast Boy answered, taking her question seriously as he glanced around. _"The smaller jaguars are female, and they're probably not happy that you got into my den._"

When she raised her eyebrow pointedly at him, he just muttered, "_Animal magnetism,_" letting his ears droop bitterly. "_Territorial, aggressive, and angry males for me, while every creature south of feisty with a pension for meat is after you. _Greaa-aat_._"

She understood why at least. Beast Boy could have gone for Azar knows how long without upsetting any balance nature kept, ruling aimlessly as its true apex. But they were here for her; because some fundamental part of them understood that she wasn't natural. And he had shown "interest" in her versus other females by housing her; which in animal speak, lead to "Grays"; which theoretically, would disbalance the ecosystem.

All because animals couldn't differentiate between _friends_ and _mates_.

_'But do we want them to?'_ Brave asked. Raven didn't grace her with an answer.

_'Aww,'_ Passion cooed, _'She thought about Grays.'_

_'It's a thing! _Ha!_ Told you!'_ Rude bragged smugly.

A larger jaguar snapped at the changeling's hind leg, jumping back as his back paw kicked, claws visibly extended.

One of the smaller jaguar's sniffed, growling as it continued to circle. _"The female has entered his den, shared his food. His mate!"_

_"HIS MATE,"_ the others echoed, growls chorusing angrily.

Raven was beginning to feel a pinched vein in her forehead at how often _those_ implications came up. Azar, if it wasn't for the seriousness of the situation, she'd probably have lost her temper. She'd deal with _that_ particular issue at a later date; preferably when she could properly squeeze a few years off Garfield's life. The jaguar's spots danced in and out of view around them, clearly at home in this stealthy element as they continued to encircle the sorceress and changeling.

_"No little creatures,"_ one sniffed carefully. _"Hunt. Kill ash female. And no little ash creatures."_

A large paw slammed angrily into the ground, causing everyone to jump in surprise.

_"LEAVE!"_ Beast Boy roared in their tongue, his whiskers bunching and quivering as he teeth became more exposed, his eyes becoming angry slits and his ears lowering. His paw stepped pointedly in front of Raven as he crouched lower, hissing as he prepared to aim for their vitals. _"Do not make me rip out your entrails for sport."_

_"If you can,"_ they hissed back. At that, the jaguars struck.

Beast Boy flipped over as two behind him bit into his back legs, pulling the weight out from under him as they began dragging him away literally kicking and screaming. The other five didn't waste any time going for Raven, aiming for the throat, the legs; any place that would wound, kill, or incapacitate. They met only shadow, the sorceress also at home in this element as she stepped several feet away in the blink of an eye.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" With an outstretched hand, the dark becoming deeper and colder at her behest, as her shadow expanded and overshadowed the area around them. The five jaguars on her were pulled into the ground, their paws held fast by compressed soil as she pulled her power back. They hissed and spat obscenities, but they were trapped.

She turned suddenly at the sound of a roar, just in time to see a jaguar give a two-thousand pounds psi bite to the jaguar-changeling's calf. Anyone else, and she would have heard bones breaking from that level of force. But that didn't stop her hand from holding back a gasp when it ripped its head outward, tearing a meaty portion of the changeling's leg away as he wailed angrily.

There was so much blood. She knew his heartbeat, because she could see every time it beat, more red liquid pumped from the wound in small, but noticeable, spurts.

She was so stunned, her mind blanked the next few moments until she heard an audible _SNAP!_ Beast Boy had tackled his offender, wrestled it down, and bit down with more force than it ever could, returning the favor as he clamped his maw around its throat. He didn't let go until he gave it a good shake. Favoring his other back paw, he didn't have time to savor his victory when his second jaguar pounced, trying to sever the back of his neck with its bite. As a form of defense, he shifted into a bear, giving it a mouthful of hardened shoulder muscle before trying to roll over to squash it.

Raven was returned to her own fight when she felt her neck tense directly behind her, revealing her capture technique meant nothing to a creature that didn't know surrender. Of course they didn't; they weren't human. Surrender required the ability to bargain, and humans were the only creatures that bargained. But still, the jaguars' collective silent stalking was uncanny.

She floated away just in time to feel claws rake across her cloak, fraying the end of it in slashes. She turned in time to see that they were already climbing up the trees, looking for a vantage point from which to pounce.

She took a deep breath, allowing her power to reach out through the trees, dark-encompassed vines snaking down, bidding them to wrap around the cats. Some nimbly jumped to other trees and branches while she began wrapping up the two she could catch. Once finished, she reached out, cutting a large branch cleanly from its trunk with a shadowed blade, before hurling at the nearest unencumbered jaguar. It dodged, glaring down and hissing from being whipped by the leaves and branches.

Raven blinked, unimpressed. Opening her top two eyes, she gave a four-eyed glare as she hissed back. She floated upward as a black claw stretched from her hand, missing as she lost sight of the beast in the leaves. It was beginning to look like a game of cat and mouse, with neither side knowing who either side was.

A _snap_ caught her attention as she looked down to see the jaguars' she'd tied up clawing their way out of the vines. Within a couple seconds of struggling and using their body weight, they fell, landing on their feet and continued with their assault as they climbed the trees after her.

"Gar! How do I keep them down? They keep getting out," she asked, not used to this level of blind tenacity. What was she supposed to do? It wasn't like they had a prison to put them in. She could continue to incapacitate them, but it was harder if they just kept coming.

"_Kill them!_" he bellowed, his bear form roaring before pawing his attacker away, only briefly turning to her. "_They… won't… stop… otherwise._" He roared as it jumped on his back, sinking its teeth through his heavy fur and into his shoulder blade.

Her blood chilled in her veins, her chest running so cold it felt completely still. Even floating in the air, she felt something suspend her, as if her father had suddenly pulled on her strings once again, calling her to be his puppet.

_'K-k-kill?'_

Some darker half of her chuckled, its tones resonating vilely in her bones as she looked at her hands, the image of them covered in blood flashing before her eyes before they squeezed shut. For a moment, she forgot how to inhale.

_'Deep breaths, sweetie,'_ she heard Temperance ease urgently. _'He's doesn't have control. You're fine. Just breathe.'_

She gasped as she obeyed, ripping away from that train of thought. Sweat started forming on her forehead as she pulled back the blindly violent impulse that arose from that thought. But _that_ half, that personal demon, was finally out, and it wasn't going to leave so easily.

"No-no," she muttered gutturally, clutching her head tightly as she tried to find her center and retake her thoughts. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

"_Raven!_"

Her eyes shot open, only to lose focus completely as a weight slammed into her. She landed painfully on her back, the wind knocking out of her. She coughed as she struggled to breathe, the addition weight not helping in the slightest. The tension shot through her neck, instinct taking over as her arm shot in front of her face…

…And just in time to intercept the clamping of a jaguar's mouth aimed at her throat. Her violet eyes widened as its own yellow eyes glared down at her with something akin to hate as only a vindictive animal would know. She felt where its paws were flexed, one set of claws digging into her ungrappled shoulder, while the other was a pace back, digging into her stomach with its weight. The rest of the jaguars watched from the trees above, content that this was her end.

With a slow, methodical grip, it began to tighten its jaws closed. She pulled away, trying to free her arm before it bit down any harder, only for it to tighten to prevent her escape. She cried out from the pressure, its teeth and claws unable to puncture her suit, but she could feel the soon-to-be bruises indenting deeper where they tensed.

_'Stop it! Leave me alone!'_ Timid cried desperately. _'I didn't do anything!'_

A more unstable wave rose in her at Timid's begging, something in her mindlessly accumulating power, prepared to repulse and obliterate everything in a two-mile radius without restraint. She might have let it, the instinct to defend herself as strong as any other in her head. It hurt, feeling the first of her blood vessels break along her arm, forming a currently invisible contusion from the jaguar's bite.

A roar of rage trembled into her, reminding her that she wasn't alone. _'Stop!'_ she ordered as the grip on her arm loosening, the jaguar looking towards the source of the roar. Given the opportunity, she brought her legs up, flipping the big cat over her head before rolling to her knees, breathing in relief as she tamed her near outburst. She could practically feel the _hum _of her power manifesting as she forcefully quelled it, bringing it back under her control as she attempted to quickly calm herself.

The wind shift at her neck blew warmly behind her, prompting a swallow. She turned over quickly, her chest beating as it prepared for another attack. Her eyes quickly met with that of her previous jaguar. Two squid tentacles were entangled around the jaguar's suspended body, their tips propping its jaws open as though they had prevented it from pouncing and biting down on the back of her skull. The curved spurs in its suckers were hooked into its flesh with the tenacity of enlarge fishhooks. She quickly looked past it, realizing who the appendages belonged to.

Beast Boy was human again, his arm shifted into her saving grace as his other arm held the jaws of his jaguar closed over his punctured shoulder, the poor feline trying to pull away in vain as it began to choke on its supposed prey's blood. But the changeling's eyes had changed, his pupils shrunken to the size of pinheads, unblinking, and seemingly unaware of her existence much less his own wounds. Small invisible wisps, like steam, began trickling off his skin as his teeth clamped in a hiss-like growl. He was awe-inspiring… and yet terrifying.

_'Uh, I know this is a bad time, boss,'_ Rage voiced aloud, seemingly worried, _'but we found it.'_

_'Found what?'_ she asked numbly, unable to form much else in the way of a response as her time-stilled thoughts continued in the midst of what was transpiring.

_'Um,'_ Hope whimpered, swallowing nervously, _'we found the entrance to his head. And before you ask how, there's a big dark red beam of light shooting into the sky in our shared mindscape. And… it looks like he did some redecorating around the entrance.'_

_'Should we… I don't know? Open sesame? Knock?'_ Rage asked, sounding as uneased as Raven had ever remembered. Never a good sign.

Without missing a beat, Raven answered. "Yes." This was chance she had wasn't leaving behind, no matter how confused or terrified she was. The consequences be damned.

_'Well, Geronimo,'_ Rage muttered. Raven felt the change immediately as if she had flipped a light-switch, bathing her world in light. Or darkness.

A maelstrom of red-hot rage slammed into her head, now without borders as it flowed into her unimpeded from the changeling, overwhelming any terrified thoughts she'd had. With it came a stark sound that sent a coarse chill up her spine. Something like a hyena chuckle, mixed with a chortle, and laced with manic insanity. It was a dark, wicked, heartless sound that slowly began to curdle her blood before it suddenly stopped. And it had risen from _him_.

Over Beast Boy's form, the faint wisps she'd seen were given color, as though she were now seeing through a lens she hadn't yet possessed. A familiar red mist clung to him in small wisps, like blood vaporizing from his body.

_"For this is the Law of the Jungle,"_ a whisper came as if narrating story, emerging in the form of Garfield's mental voice, but also echoed by other voices. They were haunting; one deep and feral like the Apex, the other purring and strong but unfamiliar to her. The voices didn't appear to be addressing anyone, as if the jaguars in the trees and on the ground were trivial; the tale meant for Raven's mind, and Raven's mind alone, _"That is old and true as the sky;_

_Hush cub for daylight is waning,_

_And with the moon the hunter does rise."_

She watched as a third tentacle snaked along the other two, moving with a fluid predation that suggested inevitability as it stalked toward the jaguar standing before her.

_"Keep watchful eyes o'er your dens,_

_And ne'er go hunting alone;_

_For the Law has no place for a creature,_

_Whose heart no Law can atone."_

The tentacle slid down its jaw, near its teeth, appearing as though it would travel down its throat before curling downward, and wrapping around its neck.

_"Tread not where his scent does follow,_

_And stray not any near his den;_

_Touch not what his fangs have,_

_For no one can this Law bend."_

With a constricting squeeze, Raven watched the jaguar struggle as it was suspended further into the air like a living carcass left to hang, its body curling as it struggled to fight back. Even clawing only left minor gashes in Garfield's flesh as visible tension ran through the prehensile arms.

_"Neither harm nor slander his mate,_

_Lest you pierce his heart with your claw;_

_And all offenders rent asunder,_

_And none spared his wrath and his maw._

A flash crossed Beast Boy's wrath-filled eyes, the tentacles swung the jaguar back before snapping it forward, flinging the body before pulling back with an audible _SNAP!_, like a whipped towel. Without a care, the tentacles unwound from the big cat, the body _thud_ding as it hit the ground carelessly next to Raven. Her breath hitched as she watched it, how the neck seemed disjointed in a hangman's fracture from the rest of the body while blood pooled from around it's ajar mouth. _That_ was what killing looked like.

_"Roar not your anger in challenge,_

_Touch not his brood or his cubs;_

_Lest you be hunted unerring,_

_And your crime paid full by your blood._

Beast Boy let go of the jaguar on his shoulder, the red steam bursting off of him like bloody streamers floating in the wind. The jaguar was barely given time to release before he pounced. Curling undeterred under its chin as he leapt at the throat, he twisted his head as he morphed into a crocodile, thousands of pounds of force _snap_ping into its neck, sending blood splattering the ground from the punctured carotid artery. Now latched, his body twisted, performing the coined "death roll", hissing deeply as the last of the jaguar's life was torn brutally from it along with its head.

_"For there is no creature empowered,_

_That can match the might of a Beast;_

_No hunted that can escape him,_

_None created nor monster released._

The jaguars in the trees thought better of their chances when they switched targets, aiming for the changeling instead; he would only pick them off one by one if they let him. Any prior benevolence the species had held for him due to his position in nature was gone now that it had become a matter of survival. He was "mate" to an abomination, and they couldn't get to one without getting through the other.

Beast Boy returned to human form, his four-limbed stance held wide as his throat swelled, and a giant tongue shot out of his gullet at lightning speed, the adhesive tip snatching onto one of them, pulling it into the ground. With a quick retraction, he morphed into giant jumping spider, instantly leaping with eight open legs snatching another out of the air. One leg remorphed as they landed into a praying mantis's claw, instantly stabbing into its chest cavity, finishing the act with a fatal twist.

_"For this is the Law of the Jungle,_

_For young and for old who are wise;_

_Let those who keep it made prosper,_

_While those who break it let die._

Raven scrambled back as the landed cats moved for the changeling, her hand held out as though it could commit to her power emerging, only to shake at the prospect of the fatal blow she had half-contemplated. But– They aimed for his limbs, viciously tearing until they pulled several of his multiple legs free, blue arachnid blood dripping slowly as he toppled to the ground disbalanced.

_'You fuckers!'_ Rage whispered, her voice becoming guttural and angry. _'_You malicious, vile, disgusting…_.'_ And she continued, each word escalating with a turret of barely suppressed desire to beat the shit out of them. The intensity of the emoticlones own namesake began to fog her mind. A pulse beat off of her as her second set of eyes glared open, all four orbs glowing red. The air around her turned to white-noise static as her own aura projected off her like a wave. She let loose a yell, Rage tapping into some fundamentally possessive aspect of her demonic blood as the air trebled. She might not be able to kill, but she'd be damned if she continued to dwell on her own bullshit while they hurt him more. _He_ belonged to _her_.

Four eyes blinked in surprise as that thought circulated, the red in her eyes suddenly fading, replaced by a rising smoldering red to her cheeks at the one-eighty train of thought. _That_ was going to lead to a long discussion with her emotions.

The jaguars paused their assault, distracted by a sensation that sent their hackles trembling. The abomination wasn't projecting a killing aura, but it was a foul; one that promised a thousand nights where the darkness would not be their ally, but their foe. If the Creature was down, they could focus on the object of their disposition. Something so unnatural, it was all the more imperative to end its existence; to prevent others of its heinous kind from emerging with the blood of the Creature.

Taking their moment of distraction, the changeling let loose a rasp, his fallen spider legs and arachnid blood liquidized into a maelstrom of green proto-matter as his body did, returning to the whole as the mass leapt as one. An enlarged mamba coiled as it landed on the ground, a threatened hiss leaving its fanged mouth as it struck repeatedly in the flash of a second, downing another as each bite contained two-hundred milligrams of venom that acted faster than what belonged to the original species.

_"To all creatures who wander the Jungle,_

_The beginning of wisdom is fear;_

_And retreat as you may to your homes,_

_Whene'er the Beast draws near."_

The two surviving jaguars backed away from the deadly snake, clearly rethinking their attempts even as the snake curled in on itself, a tiger emerging as it snarled savagely. Without prompt or warning, it knocked over its newest predator-turned-victim, pinning it down under much larger paws as its mouth widened. Even as the jaguar hissed and spat, struggled and fought to get away, the tiger slowly and methodically moved his jaws over its head, encompassing it before it bit down with a _CRACK!_, the entire skull caving under the force.

The sole jaguar left turned to run, only to be snagged by the tail. Turning angrily with years of primal instinct guiding it, it realized its mistake the next instant when it met the cold shrunken pupils of its only true unnatural predator. Black claws clenched as it was grabbed by the throat, the animal too terrified to fight back. An intense growl sang lowly in its ears, the sound palpitating its heartbeat as adrenaline coursed pointlessly in its veins; a song of terror whispering death in its ear. The creature weighed less than it did in its true form; but it was stronger, faster, superior in every other way. Even as naked as the day it was born, it was clothed in its regality; blood red ribbons floating behind it like steaming spines. And when it bared its canines, the jaguar no longer felt its jugular, because it was gone, its own warm and wet blood stroking down its fur as it was left to choke for air.

Raven could only watch in fascinated horror as a human Beast Boy flicked his hand, throwing a slick handful of the jaguar's throat to the ground as he lifted his head, and roared, long and loud, proclaiming his dominance. His teeth and claws dripped with blood as he sniveled, a deep growl reverbing from his chest as he looked around, searching for something else that needed killing. When his eyes landed on her, his ears flattened as he crouched lower, revealing that his back leg had completely healed at some point during the fight. He landed on all fours, pivoting from side to side as though he were looking for an angle to attack her from; the blood-steam curling and weaving in the air like an anemone, somewhat swayed by the soft breeze.

He was face-to-face with her before she could blink, the ferrous scent of blood hanging on his breath as he exhaled over her. He didn't attack, growling as he sniffed down her body, sending shivers through her spine. With a bestial snort, his growling turned to deep moans as he nuzzled her chin with his nose, whining slightly when she didn't respond; apparently whatever he had been searching for absent.

Letting go of the breath she didn't know she had been holding, she looked at his surprisingly blank face as his head cocked and his pointed ears perked, like a confused dog. With a nervous swallow, she reached out, half-exhaling when he immediately put his head to her hand, moving his neck so she was petting him at his pace and behest. A small, pleased smile formed on his face when she began to scratch, moving down to rub his ears between her fingers. Purring lethargically, he half collapsed in her lap, trembling happily as the mists faded from him as an apparent exhaustion overtook him. It only took a moment until he was breathing evenly.

Raven continued to play with his hair and ears, even as a heavy weight settled in her chest in the form of a shaken gasp. She looked around, her dark vision doing little to distinguish color, but the differing gradient of blood was very clear. It looked like a massacre scene around them, and for once, Raven despised how clearly she could see. That deeper, darker, part of her she hated so much began to follow the changeling's lead, and purred happily, admiring his work as though it were a spectacle of art.

But the rest of her… she didn't know. She felt physically sick if nothing else. In the span of few poetic verses, he had slaughtered a whole pack of jaguars so mercilessly, so brutally, she almost didn't recognize him. Almost. The gentle hums of his emotions were bare before her, and they were unmistakable. This was Beast Boy. This was Garfield. Covered in blood, naked, and dirty, but untouched by any primal instinct except his own. The powers and abilities of millions of animal species at his disposal, but the human psyche had prevailed, and it had prevailed at its darkest and most savage.

Neither man, nor beast; but something ebbing and flowing in-between.

Despite the ordeal she had just seen, she realized that she wasn't afraid of him. Completely scared for her life, maybe. But not because of him; some deep-rooted understanding telling her that he wouldn't harm her.

And it was with a cold realization that it finally dawned on her. After years of associating it to a mistake, or perfect timing, or some fluke happenstance; it finally sank in: _she_ did this to him. The Apex emerging when Adonis attacked her, the Blob and Amalgam when Adonis had attacked her yet again. The Malkarasha fighting Psimon, Cinderblock, Gizmo, and Mod. Even the ravens that had come at her call to fight the Vermin. And now this. Her inability to fight back due to the bipolar nature of her emotions, her inability to defend herself when she was suddenly stunned. Her own fear of killing; her fear of emulating any aspect of the demon her father had desired her to be. She brought out the most powerful and deadliest sides of him; all because he was protecting _her_, because he was saving _her_. These things only happened when _she_ was in danger; and any danger to her was treated without mercy. A hand for a claw. The greater the threat to her, the more drastic the measures taken. And according to him, this time had been a threat to her life; and it had ended in bloodshed.

She would be lying if she didn't find that prospect somewhat flattering; but under the circumstances, she hated herself for being so weak that her best friend continued to sacrifice his mind and body to ensure any scathing she took was avenged. Even in his rage, even after such a violent display, she could still feel one of the purest souls she had ever met, despite it also being one bathed with a legion of shadows.

For her sake. Even Starfire had noticed it, hinted at it, back when he was falling apart; trying to help her realize it herself. And now she knew. She knew.

She sniffed, biting back tears, wondering how he could give himself for a half-demon like her. She barely felt the sob in her throat before traces of his mind enveloped hers, as if embracing it; their connection now front-and-center since its reestablishment. He wasn't even conscious, and his mind still reached out to comfort her.

"Idiot." He was right. In this moment in time, she had needed protecting. And she hated it with an absolute passion. Not because she was weak, but because her strength could overwhelm her reason.

She closed her eyes, feeling her emotions standing at attention without her calling them; for once, they were as serious as she'd ever felt them, letting the moment pass without commentary. She didn't want to feel them, and yet they were a part of her.

_'You may want to take a look at this,'_ Hope stated kindly, but urgently, her cloak shimmering in a bright sky-blue Raven hadn't seen in a long time.

She took a deeper calming breath, unable to truly settle herself as she allowed herself to meditate, her hand sigils now lost in the changeling's hair as she drifted into the deeper recesses of her mind, immersing into her own thoughts…

… She opened her eyes, surprised when the scenery was still bright and beautiful in her mind's eye. The autumn weather hadn't changed, even if the last time she'd been in there had only been a couple days ago. There was a small chill to the air now, like the slowing onset of winter, but other than that, the leaves were still swaying in the wind like living fire. The brooks and creeks still trickled soothingly over stream rocks.

A falling leaf floated in her vision, landing on her face. She blew it off, noting it was an orange and yellow-spotted maple leaf. As it floated away, it was then that she noticed it. The oak. _His_ oak; its bark decorated in abstract and tribal shapes and pictographs, as if it were hieroglyphed pottery, flowing like water over every ounce of the woodwork, encircling every branch. If the leaves were closer, she would have looked to them for patterns as well. The large hollow at the base of its roots gave entrance to his mind.

The only other thing out of place was the totems. And the gate; that was new-new.

The gate held a large stone, hollowed out to form a perfectly circular ring that fit against the tree like an entrance way, partially submerged in the dirt. Its edges were wrapped with weedy vines and marked with unreadable runes that looked little more than chicken-scratch.

"Nerd," Raven prodded gently, eyeing some of the tendril-like roots that were growing out of the gate from most every angle, glowing softly as they pulsed in measured beats; each pulse softly buzzing with ambient electricity to some surprisingly faster paced tempo. She smiled in familiarity, somewhat curious how much further the roots had grown since the last time she'd seen them. They were outside his head now… and now branching into _their_ head. That left an interesting image.

Curiosity furthered, she turned toward the totems. His "evolution" tree hadn't changed; still stacked from top-to-bottom by the howling monkey, the ferret-thing with a snake in its mouth, the roaring T-rex, the Apex standing guard, the Malkarasha poised to strike, and whatever was next in his evolutionary phase growing non-intrusively underneath the earth.

But the totem next to it had changed significantly. What was once a simple effigy materialized of sticks, mud, and bone as a sign of danger; now it was… more. The familiar form it had established beforehand was made even more so, though she still couldn't place what creature it was. A large and elongated cat skull stood atop, housing four eye sockets, two on each side, the back two larger than the forward ones; and a surprisingly large nasal cavity. From the back of its head supported two antlers that branched out like small trees. The torso's appearance was deep but taunt, sticks forming a visible ribcage as the rest of its body appeared to fade into the muddy and leafy ground. But the arms were still visible; appearing thin but muscular, almost twice as long as the torso, with spindly fingers that extended twice as long on its depicted hand as they should have been, each tip adorned with claws.

Raven shuttered at the newest additions to the effigy; at how much more lifelike it was despite still being abstract. No skull-and-crossbones warning sign could ever measure up to the shear unease that crawled through Raven, as though all four eyes of that hollow skull were preparing to tear into her soul, following her movements as though it were alive.

"Told you he redecorated." Raven jumped in surprise, turning to see Hope walking up next to her, pulling her hood down as she looked at the entrance with a small smile. "Though I don't think he did it consciously."

"And it doesn't bother you?" Raven asked, looking to see that it was only the two of them. "Any of you?"

"Of course it does," Hope chided, turning to the haunting effigy with some unease. "Timid's terrified of that thing.

"But we also know that he won't hurt us," she reiterated, voicing what Raven knew on a level that bordered on instinctual, looking into the pulsing entrance to his head fondly. "You don't have to enter now. There will be plenty of time to explore, preferably with Garfield. But take it slowly. He's probably gonna need some time to adjust to… well, all of this."

"Well aren't you peppy," Raven commented, watching as Hope's cheeks turned bright red. "It was a joke."

"Leave the jokes to our idiot," she stated blandly, clearing her throat. "We're not that funny."

Raven nodded, looking at the entrance. Now wasn't the time. There would be time enough later. However, she was curious about the red light Hope and Rage had seen. If it was anything like the blood mists she had seen the last time she was in his mind, then it was worth looking into. The same thing she'd seen trailing off his body just moments ago.

She took one last look at the effigy, seizing when she heard that sound again: a hyaena chuckle blended with a manically insane chortle. She swung around, swearing it had been right next to her, but it faded into echoes through the mindscaped forests.

"Yeah, that thing gives me the creeps too," Hope stated, glaring at it accusingly as though she had also heard it. But just as quickly as she had heard it, she quickly brushed it away, unconcerned. "Well, talk to ya later."

"And where are you going?" Raven asked.

"Back to our head," she stated happily. "The Conspiracy of Raven's is celebrating reestablishing our connection to Gar, and Rage and I are the emotions of honor."

Interesting. "Well, have fun," Raven commented dryly. "While you do that, I gotta figure out what to do with the idiot."

"Our idiot!" Hope called back, before fading into air.

"Right." Her emoticlones only reflected her deepest thoughts and feelings. She face-palmed in frustration, not sure what she was going to do about… whatever these strangely possessive thoughts meant. Azar forbid it was serious. But for now, she'd have to deal with reality. She closed her eyes again, breathing as her mind returned to her body.

The feeling of her hands in his hair was soft as she opened her real eyes, and with it, returned to her currently dark world. She just sat there, trailing her fingers through his longer locks with so much unspoken thoughts and words sitting between them, she didn't know what to do. And the bloody mess around them wasn't helping. Did it change anything? And if so, what?

A groan interrupted her thoughts, looking down to see him stirring. He sniffed, a small cough sounding in his throat before he smacked his lips, some of the blood lingering in his mouth spitting out before he swallowed.

His body lurching away from her before his eyes had even shot open, his teeth bared and mouth half open in a startled snarl. It took him a couple seconds to realize he was looking at Raven, and his eyes widened in terror. His fingers moved to his mouth as he sniffed, realizing that it wasn't her blood in his mouth again as he processed the scent. The rims of his eyes began shining as tears gathered in relief.

"R-Rae–?"

Before he could even finish his question, it dawned on him as he looked around, clearly seeing in a range of color that she couldn't, the horror on his face becoming more distinguished as he viewed his handiwork, stepping back in startled circles as he did so. Every stroke of his claw, every smear of blood, every smudge of entrail; a canvas of carnage. His breath began to speed up as he lifted his hands, trembling when he saw his stained claws. The first sob came out choked as he bent over, grasping at his elbows to hold himself steady.

"I'm sorry," he breathed out shakily. Even in the dark, she could see the glimmer of his tears falling as minuscules of light caught them. "I'm so sorry."

Raven gaze softened in realization: he was taking this harder than she was. And what were the chances he remembered any of it? He'd been training to harness his more primal side, so what was it like for him to suddenly lose that hard-earned control again? She could sympathize.

She felt the ground vacate beneath her as she sub-consciously began floating over to him. He tried to flinch away when she touched him, but that didn't stop her from snaking her hands around his neck, pulling his head into her shoulder. Her powers seemed to act independently and in tandem with her will as her cloak billowed up around him, wrapping him closer to her, trapping his warmth to hers.

"What are you apologizing for now?" she asked, her tone unimpressed. "We really gotta stop meeting like this."

His chuckle choked out of him as he curled deeper into her shoulder, still holding his bloodied hands close to himself. And away from her. "I'm sorry… you had to see me like that. But when I saw– when it was– I couldn't–"

She smiled slightly as she began to pet his hair again, just thankful he hadn't run away from her. Just imagining it left a painful hollow in her chest. "I think we both tend to overreact when the other is in danger. Our own safety be damned." It was a terrible habit to be sure, being unable to defend themselves, but going all-out like Christmas ham when the other was in trouble. "I guess that makes us both pretty stupid."

"Welcome to the club. We have t-shirts," he joked, earning a snort from Raven. He seemed to go a little slack in her grasp. He gently pushed away, giving himself enough room to look up at her face. "What now?"

"I want you home," she whispered, unsure of how she was trying to make that sound. Earnest! She'd go with earnest. "Beast and all."

"What about–?"

"I'll deal with Robin," she stated. "But that doesn't mean that there won't be a slew of media presence wondering where you've been, or a few adjustments at the Tower."

He collapsed back into her shoulder, clearly feeling better if he could verbally complain with the groan he let loose.

She felt some of her emotions trying to kick the next few words out of her, clearly gaining mind-wide approval. "It will take time, but I'll be there to help you through it, you know? And if you need me to restrain you, I'll be there for that too." The last part was improvised, but she wasn't getting opposition in her head, so bonus….

… Oh shit! _'Azar damnit Passion!'_ The emotion in question was giggling like a schoolgirl. Oooo! Raven was gonna kill her.

He scoffed. "I'll hold you to it." He clearly took it as it was intended, much to Raven's relief. "But I don't think I'm the same person, Rae. I'm… different now."

With a flick to his ear, she grabbed him by the chin, lifting it so she could look at him; violet to green. This close, she could detail the bloodstains around his mouth, and sad vacancy in his darkened irises where she had once seen life and vibrance. It only took a moment for her to move forward, putting her forehead to his, letting her chakra radiate into him; granted, she was connected to him, but this direct method was familiar for all the number of times they'd done it before he'd left. She breathed out, feeling her breath reflect off his face, and feeling him shudder as a result. "Really? Cause you feel like the same guy who wanted to make me coffee all those months ago."

She could feel the air heat a few degrees from his face as his skin took a reddish hue. "Uh, bu– bu–, wha–" he stuttered.

"But you stink," she commented blandly with a small wrinkle of her nose, letting go of his chin as she seemed to phase away from him. "Let's go get you cleaned up."

She waited for him to get up from his seated position, expecting him to follow without question, but he just sat there glancing down and to the side. With a strained sigh, she grabbed his hand from his elbow, pulling him up. She was gonna have to pull _him_ out of his shell for a change. She could feel the drying blood stick to her fingers, but she didn't mind it too much when he gulped nervously, his own needs muting any darker feelings she held for his actions. Without another word, she unclipped her cloak, throwing it around his shoulders and pulling it close with all the snugness of a blanket. There. Now he was at least partially clothed, even if the bottom edges were slightly frayed. "Now move," she ordered exasperatedly.

Beast Boy looked after her with wide eyes as he held the cloak closed with his tarnished hands. Maybe she was blind? No. She'd clearly seen what he'd done. Even now, flashes of his fangs, his claws, his rage crossed his own vision. A simple inhale told him everything he'd done, and how he had done it. The only thing that made it bearable was the why. The bruise on Raven's arm would heal, but even thinking about the slow drawn-out kill he'd sensed from the jaguars sent an extra couple doses of angry adrenaline into his veins, forcing his hackles to rise.

He couldn't blame her for hesitating either. Killing wasn't something that came naturally to her, despite her demon blood; and it had been unfair of him to ask that of her, even toward animals that had meant her harm. He half-chuckled to himself. _'I guess that's what I'm here for,'_ he mused darkly.

Still, she wasn't afraid of him, even when she should be. She hadn't just seen his animal forms kill; she'd seen _him_ kill. Maybe she was crazy? If she was, then she was his kind of crazy. Or maybe that half-demon part of her was more resilient than he'd given credit? More power to her. Or maybe she really was creepy? Yeah, super creepy. Whatever the case, he couldn't explain the relief he felt. It was… strange to say the least. But a part of him was reserved if she could actually accept this part of him; he was still learning to accept and control it himself.

But something else was different too. When he looked at her, he felt a strange resonant chord strike in his head, like he was hearing his favorite song over and over again, but it was a single note. It reverbed through him, causing tears to form at the corners of his eyes. Huh? That was strange.

Then he blinked, realizing after a moment that he was staring at her butt since her cloak was now on his shoulders… and how much better it looked snug in pants instead of the swimsu– leotard! The leotard; that's what she had called it. He approved of her wardrobe change, though he'd prefer she kept her cloak on so no one else got a glimpse.

He blinked again, realizing what he was doing.

_'NO! NO! BAD! Bad Garfield!'_ he chided, looking away with a blush touching his cheeks. He tried to loosen the collar on his shirt… only to realize a second later that he wasn't wearing one. He shook his head profusely. This whole situation was messed up, and not just in the situational context. And he was acting like a horny animal?! Or a hormonal young adult?! Maybe the jaguars weren't so far off in their assumptions if he was acting like this so sooner after killing them. God, this sucked.

Sighing as he wiped a bloodied hand pointedly across his eyes, he turned toward the ground, noting the thousands of stilled carapaces of ants waited patiently on the ground, their black eyes looking up at him in anticipation. Bees, insects, smaller scavengers waited silently in, and on, the leafage around him; waiting for his approval.

He grunted deeply. _'Dig in.'_ And at that, they skittered, buzzed, and chittered as they shot across the ground toward the mess he had left.

"Are you coming?" He looked up to see Raven looking annoyed with him, unaware of the insects crawling along the ground.

He smiled nervously, his longer hair falling in his face tediously. "Um… yeah! Just making sure your cloak stays on."

Her eyes widened as she turned away sharply. "Well hurry up." She sounded frustrated.

With a frown, he quickly began walking after Raven, thinking. Contrary to her previous kind words, he knew otherwise. He had changed, a lot more than even he knew about. And only time would tell if it was for the better.

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**A/N:** Hey guys, long time no read! This chapter was meant to show the ensuing reality of Beast Boy's... I don't want to say_ his_ "darker side"... but definitely the darker side of nature, which he exhibits as necessary. Nature is cruel and indifferent in most cases, and only the strongest, most cunning, and luckiest survive long.

First and foremost, this was mainly where my Divergent Scenario took place: whether or not they made it back to camp to face the ensuing threat. While I began to process the scenes for the characters, I realized that Raven wouldn't have endangered anyone else given the choice. She _is_ too much of a hero at heart for that (or at least my envisionment of her is). While Beast Boy's very animal-like "Strength in numbers" logic is sound, we all know who runs the show between the two. Plus, I felt the entire scene was something meant solely for Raven, rather than for an audience with a slew of other heroes to boot.

Second, yes, animals can kill out of spite, and in a predetermined integration of balance. When animals cross paths with the young of their natural predators, or a weakened carrying female, it's not uncommon for them to "thin the herd" as it were. This is one of natures ways to keep the higher-tier predators from overpopulating. In this case, it is exaggerated a lot, but only as it applies to Beast Boy. As an Apex among apexes, he has no predators in whatever ecosystem he inhabits. So naturally, when the implication that he's mating comes into play, the next wrung on the ladder, the jaguars (since they are considered the top apex predator of the Amazon, even over caimans and anacondas since they eat them), is naturally the only suited counter-agent. And given his own unnatural case, it was only fitting to have the jaguars act outside their own norm, and form a pack.

Third, the entire poetic verse was based from _Rudyard Kipling's "The Law for the Wolves"_ found in _the Second Jungle Book_. If it sounded familiar, that's where I got it from, and I am considering this the disclaimer. I've got a copy of the verses on hand in case I think of something else, or in case I come up with an edit. While I had some sick lines planned for it, I was in the middle of work, and didn't have a pad of paper to write it down. Sorry to leave you guys with the dregs. :(

I'll probably include some Morgan Lassiter in the next chapter, since I've focused so much on Beast Boy and Raven. While it wasn't my intention to have so many chapters dedicated to their reunion, the more I wrote, the more it made sense.

I'll leave it at that for now, and I look forward to your guys's questions, since I love either answering them, or hitting you with a SPOILERS! clause.

Once again, this is a Rough Draft, so if there is anything that needs edited, or is connecting in a weird way for you guys, let me know and I'll try to clean up the text. I do accept grammar and spelling errors too. (*A copy and paste, but hey, some things are worth repeating for you fine folk*)

As always (and I'll just keep posting this because its true), keep posting your constructive criticisms, as they will help me know what to look for in my future writings, and for the days I decide to do a hard edit. A writer should never stop growing, and I have no intention of stopping now.

Please Read and Review, and Private Message if you're shy or prefer your inquiries to be... well, private. Please indulge my curiosity, and let me know what parts you liked, what parts need work, and overall what you guys think about it :D

Upcoming _Magicks That Bind_ \- Chapter 6: _Civilized_ (Probably won't be the final title, but its a start)


	7. Chapter 6: Returning

Chapter 6: Returning

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**A/N:** Hey guys, sorry it's been a while. I've been dwelling in the doldrums, and my mind has been kicking itself for it. For the past few weeks, my head has been exploding from my ears with ideas and thoughts. And none of them were relevant. So I've been wading through it until I got some clarity to pick any of my stories back up again. Things are still foggy, and the snow settling in certainly hasn't helped now that I'm going stir-crazy while confined to house and home. Thank God for coffee and music.

_**Review Responses:**_

-Chicolovesquaking: Yes. Yes they did. I know it's been a while, but here's chapter 7

-TheAlienHeart: Thanks! :D It won't be as intense this chapter, but there will still be plenty of stuff to take place.

-Mr. Ursine: *still laughing out loud after having reread your message a dozen times already*

-"Guest" & "Eris": I wouldn't say it was anything that sophisticated; animals are still animals. If you think of it like a ecosystem pyramid, with grass and veggies at the larger and wider bottom, and the Jaguars at the top, and every other animal fitting some role in-between. Nature keeps that pyramid in balance, so when the grass portion gets smaller, the number of animals in the above categories grow smaller in order to accommodate and prevent food shortages for upper animals. Likewise, when the greens and veggies gets bigger, the populations of the above animals get bigger in retrospect thanks to the surplus. Jaguars are the apex's, meaning that they are farther and few between in number. With Beast Boy, he'd be in a category above that, meaning their "should" be fewer of his "species" than that of the jaguar population. Having little "Grays" means that his species population grows, which leaves the lower pyramid in chaos (as the saying goes, you start from the ground up; so going from the top-down is essentially asking for balance to be broken) due to the larger population of apex Apexes (or pinnacle apexes) versus the balanced lower portions of the pyramid.

I hope that explains it. I've had to write this to a few other people, so I hope I've made it clear enough. Almost wish I could post pictures for it. :P

-"Eris" (cont.): When Beast Boy gets back, it will be a process, and won't be introduced to the team all at once.

-Allen Blaster: Oh?! Plot hooks?! Tell me more :3

-Invictus Icarus: Here's the next chapter for ya (I don't know how to do a thumbs up thingy, so *types out the thumbs up thingy*)

***End of Responses**

Disclaimer: The snow is even thicker outside, and that disclaimer is thoroughly frozen. Now where did I put my sledge hammer? ... ... Oh?! I found my ice pick!

**Read and Review if you have Questions, Comments, or Concerns (affectionately QCC****)**

Without further ado. *Que the dimming of the lights*

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Magicks That Bind:

Chapter 6: Returning

_'Well, this could be more awkward.'_

Garfield sank to his chest in the river, keeping his back to the shore as he tried scrubbing away the blood on his body. He wasn't really worried about the predators that roamed the murky waters, knowing that he was still covered in rage-induced pheromones he'd released during his fight. He reeked of it. The two schools of piranha's he'd sensed nearby were nowhere to be felt the moment he had entered the water. No animals in their right mind would attack him right now. And by extension, anyone who had his scent on them.

Still, his green-tinted skin was now stained a dark brownish-red due to the color overlap. It would be that way for a little while. Blood didn't groom out that easily. Sighing in resignation, he looked back at the shore.

Raven hovered on the bank, her cloak draped over a tree next to her, but her back to him as she meditated. Her bruises weren't deadly, but they were surprisingly deep, especially along her arm. He didn't want her to accidentally let go of him out of pain while he was carrying her; so while he tried to clean up, she was regathering her focus and healing.

Still, he had his doubts. Neither Raven, nor Beast Boy talked about what just happened; and yet it seemed trivial or pointless to talk about anything else. So, in lieu of actually speaking to each other, the air between them became uncommonly… empty.

Beast Boy had thought that she'd responded rather well to seeing… well, him slaughter a whole pack of jaguars? Him lathered in blood like it was the new black? Completely and totally losing control? The whole nine yards. But now… he couldn't explain it. It was just… different. Not necessarily bad; but not wholly good either.

With a groan, he sank even lower, his nose just above the surface as he glared out over the waters and into the jungle, his mouth sputtering bubbles. His body found it hard to be at ease, even as he tried to massage the stains from his skin. His ears were rotated back, a part of him half-consciously keeping at least one of his senses focused solely on Raven and everything within twenty feet of her. Was he paranoid? Abso-frickin'-lutely. He was paranoid as hell right now. If a bullet ant so much as shook a leaf wrong, he was prepared to leap out of the water, claws flashing and teeth gnashing.

"Do you mind?" He turned to see Raven deadpanning at him. "I can practically taste your tension from over here. It's bitter by the way."

"Sorry," he muttered through more bubbles, sinking a little further into the water in embarrassment. He continued to rub at a stain, not really paying attention to it as other thoughts crossed his mind. He was genuinely worried, some aspect of him instinctively desiring to protect her, and with good reason. But it wasn't just that. It was something more… personal.

"You're not… scared of me, are you?" He turned back, hoping to at least get a glimpse of reaction that could help him simplify that answer. No such luck; her face was as passive as perfectly sculpted marble as she looked back at him, an eyebrow raised pointedly. "I just– I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

_'Stupid! That was a bloodbath! Of course she's uncomfortable,'_ he reminded himself.

"I'm… … … processing," she stated. It was something at least. She seemed just as fed up with the silence as he was when she let loose a sigh. "I'm… not sure how to react. I meant everything I said Garfield, but all of that back there, it wasn't… it wasn't normal. And I don't know how to work it out in my head.

"Besides, you're bathing less than fifteen feet away from me. It doesn't get any more uncomfortable than that."

His ears burned indignantly, mock mutterings leaving his lips as he gave up getting completely clean, opting to finish up with a rinse. It would eventually wear off, and he wasn't going to spend all day grooming himself like a common house cat.

Raven on the other hand was too busy focusing internally.

_'Wow. You got up in his face. I'm impressed,'_ Brave commented. _'Using the ol' "I'm gonna smack my chakra to your forehead" trick. It's a little retro, but I dig it.'_

_'Yeah, did you see his face?'_ Happy chirped, giggling excessively. _'It was So Coowt!'_

_'Really? All I noticed that we were about half-a-second from leveling a rainforest,'_ Rage jabbed, glaring accusingly at Timid. _'Mass destruction of land aside, we're really gonna have to discuss power displacement.'_

_'I'm sorry!'_ Timid apologized, and not for the first time either.

_'With Garfield among the potential wreckage we might add,'_ Knowledge included statistically, pushing her glasses up as she looked over her notes. _'Be as that may, we all know why we're all gathered.'_

Agreement cycled among the overall Conspiracy. _'Very well,'_ she continued. _'Item One for discussion: Inner contemplation regarding Beast Boy, a.k.a. Garfield, a.k.a. Dat' Ass, a.k.a.–'_ She blinked, glaring back over her notes meticulously. _'Damn it, Passion! You know not to mess with my notes!'_

_'It wasn't me!'_ Passion protested with a pout.

All eyes turned to Rude, who propped her feet up unaffected as she wiggled her pinky in her ear. _'Guilty. We _did_ get a good look at his rear though. It felt criminal not to make _note_ of it.'_ She gave a pointed smiled. _'Or was I the only one paying attention?'_

Groans circulated as they were reminded that the rest of them _hadn't_ in-fact, paid attention. _'The point _is_,'_ Knowledge continued, slapping the pink from her cheeks as she took a deep breath to prevent mentally deviating,_ 'we need to evaluate our assessment of Garfield given all current and relevant information. Especially with this latest endeavor in mind.'_

No one spoke for a moment, letting all of them slowly gather on the focus of this meeting. _'M-main k-concerns?'_ Timid asked softly.

_'How do we feel toward him?'_ Knowledge inquired foremostly. No one spoke up. _'Unchanged, one and all?'_

_'No point in really changing how we feel,'_ Passion voiced, her tone forward and serious for a change. _'As horrifying as it was in the moment, he still recognized us and protected us. In the end, it's simply a new side of him that we're unfamiliar with. We know he's capable of killing if he feels it's necessary. So, we learn about it, do our best to accept it, remedy its effects on him where he lets us, and hopefully help prevent it in the future. We all saw how he was once he came to his senses: he was terrified. Both of what he did, and what we thought of him. He's still our Garfield; he's just a little more layered than we anticipated. Distancing ourselves won't help either of us.'_

_'True,'_ Temperance agreed, resting a chin on her conjoined hands. _'Having explored his memories does not tell us all there is to know about him. It's possible that some of the masks he wears aren't there of his volition.'_

_'I think we've made it clear that this doesn't change how we feel,'_ Brave stated firmly, tapping the air lightly in thought. _'He's still our friend. However, that does raise concerns regarding how he'll be regarded around people if these lapses become commonplace.'_

Everyone nodded.

_'I'm not sure it's the civilians we should be concerned about,'_ Rude noted in a more reserved tone. _'So far his loss of control and more violent expressions have been toward villains and perceived villains. Adonis, Mod, Psimon, and now the jaguars. Also, we know that escalating the stakes, escalates the reaction. So we learn from this.'_

_'And I believe we know the reason now,' _Rage stated, folding her arms pointedly. The rest nodded, more than a little disheartened by _that_ revelation.

Temperance nodded before noticing that something was tugging on her cloak. She found Suffering shyly offering up a piece of parchment before she went to sit back down. _'Suffering writes, "His hair is soft",'_ Temperance smiled, nodding in thanks to the mouthless emotion as she kicked her feet aimlessly; still a child in appearance. _'Well, it stands to reason he's more afraid of himself than we are of him,'_ she continued, undeterred.

_'I-if we're even afraid at a-all,'_ Timid affirmed, smiling softly.

_'I believe any feelings concerning this matter are unanimous and mutual,'_ Knowledge stated with finality. _'On to Item Two: Since chances are that we're bringing back to the Tower, how much do we tell him? And when?'_ That threw the rest of them for a loop.

_'Ab-bout the S-symbiotic Healing T-trance,'_ Timid stuttered, moaning as she pulled her cloak tighter; partially responsible herself for the event in question. After all, it had been her suggestion.

_'And merging,'_ Hope stated, also partially responsible on some emotional level. Literally.

Raven's focus faltered from the inner sanctum of her mind before she could further contemplate and discuss the matter with her emotions, suddenly aware of the water splashing behind her.

"_Whooh!_ That's cool," Beast Boy exclaimed.

A deep – tense – yawn drew her focus, followed by a groan that clearly signified a stretch. After smacking lips, she heard the water slosh again, each dribble punctuated as it got closer.

Slightly annoyed that she'd been interrupted from her meditation in a very Beast Boy -like fashion, she felt a small smile tug at her lips at the strange familiarity it brought her, especially after four months without it. It was strangely tranquil in its own chaotic manner. Right before her spine stiffened in realization and her ears perked.

Against her will, any idea of continued meditation or inner contemplation faded as she became acutely aware of Beast Boy's feet slapping wetly against the shore, prompting a faint pink to line her cheeks; in note that he was in fact "naked" just a few feet away. Some decorum of modesty did allow her to fluster a little bit, but another part of her wondered how he was so chill with it. Just thinking about it was causing her spine to prickle. From what? She wasn't sure.

"Hey, Rae," she heard behind her. "We should start heading to camp." She felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to tense suddenly. Just as quickly as it was there, it was gone. "Oh– um– sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt."

It was a strange tone for her to hear; her emotions clear on their intent, but her mind still trying to place this timid changeling behind her with the carnage-minded beast she'd seen just a half-hour ago. It was harder than she had fathomed. On one hand, he was this powerful Apex, capable of decimating a pack of jaguars without so much as flinching. And on the other, he was still so soft and mild and gentle and fearful. The mix of those two was just… _so_ confusing to her.

_'I do this to him,'_ some part of her own thoughts echoed, causing her to flinch subtly, and not from his touch this time.

"Sorry. I'm just–"

"Processing?" he answered for her. She heard him settle next to her, risking a glance. He was wrapped up in her cloak, his long, soaked hair laying in heavy strands underneath the neck of her hood and along the side of his face. Against her better judgement, she felt a tendril of her power reach out, lifting a couple such strands and tucking them behind his ear, almost patting them back into place.

She was met with those soft green eyes. He nodded in acceptance, but remained acutely aware of the muted stains that still dotted around his mouth. He didn't exactly like it either. None of his prior blackouts had ended in bloodshed before. And yet, it had seemed natural. Expected even. He couldn't bring himself to raise too big of a fuss about it despite the initial terror it had racked him with; the only reason he wanted to be clean was because it had made Raven… uncomfortable. And rightly so.

The jaguars had attacked, intent on Raven's blood. He killed them to protect her, even if he wasn't aware for most of it. Simple cause and effect. The methods were quick, their vitals were targeted, and they were killed. The literal execution may not have been clean, pain, or terror free; but she was relatively unharmed, and that was all he would ask for at the end of any day.

"So, uh, how's your arm?" he asked, his claws scratching into the wet ground absently.

She dropped from her lotus position, kneeling down next to him. Pulling off the ringlet around her finger, she pulled up her sleeve. "See for yourself," she stated, shivering as the air hit her bare skin. There was only a faint yellowish outline of the bite left, with slightly dark spots where its teeth had tried piercing her suit. She was healing up nicely. He startled her when he started sniffing, his nostrils flaring and his pupils narrowing slightly. "Um, what are you doing?"

"You were bitten by a jaguar," he stated, a low growl rumbling in his throat. "It's surprising enough that your arm wasn't crushed to pieces. I'm just… making sure nothing chipped."

Right. Her bones were denser now. She'd have to tell him about that too. While there really was nothing to worry about anymore, she could feel it was something he needed.

He began sniffing again, his inhales pulling cool air over her arm, and his exhales expelling warm air over the cool areas, which were once again pulling cool air, before the contrast enunciated the warm air yet again. It was intriguing to feel as her arm slow unwound, almost going slack as she watched the intensity in his brows when his eyes closed to focus.

A low sound escaped his throat, causing a small vibration in her arm as she shivered, his ears flicking carefully. "_Hmm_," he hummed gently, blinking his lids back open heavily. "You should be good."

"Doubting my healing abilities?" she questioned blandly, pulling her sleeve back over her arm, making sure the gem over the back of her hand was in place.

"Of course not," he stated with a humoring smile, looking comparably more relaxed now, "I'm just glad there's nothing to worry about."

It was silent again, a little more at ease than it had been despite it not feeling wholly the same. It ended rather quickly as he patted her on the knee with a sigh as he pushed himself up. "We do need to get going though. The camp's just down the river. The only question is, how are we going to dazzle its occupants?"

"Dazzle?" Raven asked with an arched eyebrow. "Why would we–?"

"You've been missing for over a day, Rae," he smirked, the mischievous glint in his eye and reflecting off one of his fangs made her heart skip a little for some reason. "I say, that makes for an epic entrance. And I got just the idea."

_'Hells yes! I'm in!'_ Brave shouted with a fist-pump.

_'Oh Azar,'_ she thought, feeling like she was going to regret this.

She really didn't know how to deal with the whiplash between these two sides of Beast Boy she knew.

* * *

_Back at Camp…_

Pantha wasn't one to worry unnecessarily, but a whole day later, there was still no sign of Raven.

The afternoon had since began fading to an early evening, but she held off the search parties for other reasons than the coming jungle night; dark as it already was thanks to the clouds. She stood over a map of their little corner of the Amazon, an LED lantern casting its glow over the parchment as the blare of the multiple camera monitors strained her tired eyes. She fought a pointless battle surveying the potential places the anomaly could be. She was already of the opinion that the jungle's anomaly wouldn't be found so easily, but something had shifted.

The jungle had been quiet. Quiet as death.

Still, some small corner of her mind began to doubt. As much as she drew on her gut instinct, reasonable delay was becoming harder to press with every passing hour. She certainly hoped Raven would be back soon. But she had anticipated the sorceress would have returned sooner. Then again, if Pantha's suspicions were confirmed, then she'd give Raven all the time in the world. She deserved it. But there was no way to confirm if her suspicions were correct, so she was left in this Schrödinger-esque state of both arguments being simultaneously valid, but also, unnecessary.

Sighing at the lack of progress and building mental conflict, she rubbed her eyes as best as she could, half-tempted to remove her luchador mask for a moment of peace and comfort. But that comfort was the price of being a hero, especially on long-term missions like this one. That, and taking off her mask was a big no-no for secret identity purposes. Still, if they didn't come up with something soon, then who knows what matters would be taken to deal with the rebelling jungle. More drastic and less conservative measures to be sure; because since when did people listen to reason, pack up, and leave? Especially people who stood to make a profit?

While Pantha knew the world wasn't so black-and-white, she also knew that such "absolutes" were still apart of the grey spectrum that human complexity inhabited.

Unable to focus any longer without her growing frustration inhibiting her thinking, she let out a puffed growl as she pushed away from the central table. Refusing to return to staring at the maps, she paced back and forth contemplatively.

"Tough time?" Martins asked from his station, still eyeing the monitors with a stoicism that made Pantha wonder if he wasn't part machine. The most he'd done all day was push the brim of his fedora up the one time he'd leaned forward to get a better look at something.

"Tough enough," she admitted, feeling an undue weight on her shoulders. Leading was a tough job, and required a level of focus and dedication that baffled even her. She saw why Robi– _cough, cough_ – Nightwing always looked like he had a stick up his ass now; leading was often a job that required you to make tough decisions not just for yourself, but for your fellow heroes. And it was generally made harder not just by those fellow heroes, but by civilians too. It was a thankless job to say the least, with few-to-no added perks or benefits (Not even a pay bonus!).

It was easier to be a solo hero, but with the villains that had arisen while they had been fighting the Brotherhood of Evil, and to prevent another grand-scale amassing, it required a certain level of cohesion with others to bring order back the chaos left in its wake. Even years later. And Nightwing had entrusted her with any larger-scale missions this far south. She didn't want to disappoint him any more than she wanted to fail. But so far, that faith was appearing misplaced; at least, in her mind.

"Don't sweat it," Martins stated indifferently. "Ya win some, ya lose some. The'e's no lives at stake at least." At least someone wasn't suffering for the mission's potential failure. "Take fyve love. A few deep breaths and a cuppa can do wonduhs. No sense beatin' yur head fo' elusive answuh's."

Pantha agreed. She needed a few minutes to clear her head and let any abstract information process. Acting like Nightwing used to, and holing up in his "cave", wouldn't benefit anyone. Besides, a cup of coffee sounded great right about now, never mind that it was the closer to evening than not. To hell with it! It was caffeine. "'Kay. Call me if anything happens."

"Rodg'r."

With that, she stepped outside the command tent, immediately taking a deep breath as she closed the mosquito netting behind her. The air was heavy and the ground was still muddy after the rainstorm that had clouds still lingering from yesterday; but it was the clean and refreshing atmosphere that made it tranquil, just what Pantha needed to take a few moments and regroup her thoughts.

She walked purposefully toward the mess tent, unable to truly be at ease. But that didn't stop her from snatching a styrofoam cup and brimming it with coffee, sipping on the warmer liquid as she walked back to the command tent. The return trip was slower, mostly so she didn't spill her drink, and partially to savor the temporary moment.

She was still trying to work despite herself. Yet another difficulty in leadership: how to assign the assets and resources at her disposal to their maximum usefulness. Maximizing the usefulness of Beetle's abilities, and in other cases, keeping the twins out of trouble. The job never stopped.

"_¡Monstruo!_" The word was loud and panicked, hitting the camp like sledgehammer.

Pantha immediately looked up. If she was hearing it, it was close. Coffee dropped and forgotten as she rushed toward the sound of exclamations rising, she shot between tents with agility befitting the creature she took name after. She wasn't more than a few rows in before a fully donned Jaime was running next to her.

"_Noches_," he greeted simply, echoed by a "_Krrrrrr_" from Khaji Da.

"Any readings?" she asked immediately, watching as the two appendages at his shoulders curved straight up, turning this way and that.

"_Mierda_," he muttered. "It's huge!"

They were just in time to round the corner, seeing a small crowd gathered at the edge of the camps fencing. It was easy to see why they were so frightfully enamored. It was a vision. And a terrible one at that.

A raptor bird; whether eagle, hawk, or falcon was unclear; was pulling up from the river toward the camp's outskirts. It was indeed massive; its shadow seeming to carry a weight of its own. It circled the camp, a massive shriek sounding as its gaze seemed to glare down on the camp. The cloudy sky met its dark plumage, as black as it could be with so little light giving its outline context. Already, many of those present were agape in awe. Surely, such an impossible creature was a sign; be what omen it may.

As it banked upright for a landing, its angle revealed four wings beating slowly but powerfully, the _whoosh!_ from each conjoined flap sending mud from the ground sprawling in its wake. It was tall. Taller than an elephant, as its talons opened from their grasped curl, squishing down into the mud from its weight. With a couple steadying flaps that sent muddy rainwater surging from their puddles, it let out an ear-piercing shriek that sounded something like it resonated from an underground tunnel, flashing a crest of feathers. With a quick ruffle around its neck, it began preening at its chest.

A cluster of the local police officers stationed in the camp were attempting to aim their weapons at the creature, their hands shaking in fright as their fingers hovered nervously over the triggers. There was no guarantee that their small caliber pistols would even do any damage; worst-case, they'd just piss it off.

"_Krrr-ka-grrrrp!_"

"Yeah, me too buddy," Beetle agreed, one of his hands growing into a plasma cannon as the two appendages on his shoulders grew longer and noticeably sharper.

"At ease! _¡Baja tus armas!_" Pantha ordered loudly, earning a confused look from Jaime and the police in general. "He is a friend." It took a stern look or two, but they finally lowered their guns; Beetles own fading back into his suit reluctantly.

The dark green plumage hackled as the gargantuan bird in question squawked, one of its primary wings outstretching to the ground as it lowered. With a sigh of relief, Pantha watched as the raptor grunted, shrugging slightly before revealing a very well and alive sorceress. Even from so far away, Pantha could see the disgruntled expression on Raven's face as she half-wobbled down the wing like a ramp and turned to the bird, making several gestures.

A deep exhaled the beast as it rolled its head before it seemed to melt like wax on a furnace, becoming shapeless and smaller. Within a moment, a German Shepard stood before them, varies shades of green adorning its pelt and fur, trotting besides the sorceress as she walked toward the fence.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught many of the workers making crosses over their breasts, as if that would protect them from some dark evil. It was amazing how superstitious a lot could be, but it would be no different in plenty of other places. Metahumans and the like were rarer down south (probably due to the lack of nuclear radiation), but with that rarity came misunderstanding. Misunderstanding led to misbelief and ignorance, especially when one could substitute religion over science, rather than with it.

Between the mystics, psychics, aliens, terraforms, and metahumans; ignorance was bliss, especially when no one had to change their own point of view because they were wrong, and it amused Pantha that they thought such a vague ritual would ward off two perfectly abnormal super-humans._ Exceedingly_ abnormal.

Despite that, it was interesting for Pantha to see the sorceress with her hood down, but she supposed that the flight in question had knock it loose. Men were already backing away as she approached the electrified chain-link, phasing through it without a problem. The green Shepard however loosed a huff past his chops as it looked at the fence accusingly. But before Pantha could make a comment, it walked forward, half-slinking into a serpentine form as it moved through the mesh, electricity buzzing over its scales from the fence's defensive measures before returning to a dog as it reemerged through, doing a full-body shake for its efforts that sent white sparks trailing through its fur.

"Really?" Raven commented with a raised eyebrow.

"_Hey, you have your ways, I have mine,_" it barked with lulling tongue and a wagging tail. "_What was I supposed to do? Melt through it?_"

Pantha continued to push through the crowd toward them, her height giving her an advantage.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Wouldn't that be a sight?"

The dog sniffed, unaffected by her words if the wagging tail was any indication. "_Sooo? What did'ya think?_" he asked, looking up hopefully. "_Was that the dopest entrance or what?_

"_Deadly. Poised. Graceful. And scary as hell,_" he said, complimenting his work with a grin. "_I think I made some of them weak in the knees. I make this show-biz job look easy. Maybe I should be an actor._"

"If you're looking for a standing ovation, don't," Raven stated, earning a bitterly pouting glance from the dog as he hunched his shoulders with a groan. However, his ears were wiggling, earning another eyeroll from Raven before she turned to the people virtually surrounding them. "Huh… … … I'm back?"

Pantha stopped pushing forward when she heard a sharp growl, seeing the German Sheppard morph subconsciously into a wolf twice the sorceress' size. "_I'd put that down if I were you, bub,_" he huffed with bared teeth.

Off to the side, she noticed one of the workers bending down to the mud to pick up a rock. While she could never claim the animal instinct the changeling had, she had a bad feeling all the same.

"Beetle!" she ordered behind her. She didn't need any other words before Jaime launched forward with wings extended. One arm growing a large carapace shaped shield as he placed himself in the line of fire, acting as another barrier between the workers and the returned heroes. Her shouting had fortunately drawn enough attention for the workers ahead of her to step out of the way in surprise, making her trek forward that much easier.

"_¿Hay algún problema?_" she demanded in Spanish, her hands tightening as she strode forward.

"_¡Demonio!_" the worker shouted, throwing his stone sloppily. Jaime caught it in hand without looking, raising an eyebrow at the outburst. He frowned, turning around to see Raven's face a new pallor, her lips slightly a gape in shock. The intent appeared to be clear as day. "_¡Regresa al infierno, junto con tu maestra!_"

Another rock flew from somewhere in the crowd, earning a _yip_ as the green wolf took it straight to the face. He shook it off, paw slamming into the ground as his body crackled, hackles raising. Another flew, nailing the changeling again. They weren't aiming for Raven as initially suspected. Rather, they were aiming for the green shapeshifter.

"_¡Basta!_" Pantha snapped, catching another rock before it could meet its target. _'Turning it into a stoning, huh?'_ "_¡Salir ahora! ¡Todos ustedes!_"

They didn't disperse immediately as she'd hoped. The simple act of the first throws was enough to embolden some, drawing them in to the beginnings of a mob mentality. More and more reached down, filling their hands with mud, clay, and stone. What similarity in mindset drew them to these actions? That was a question Pantha couldn't help but desire the foolish answer to.

A growl behind her caused her shiver as she turned around. The changeling was now a jaguar, his green eyes flashing angrily as he grew bigger yet. His fur rippled for a moment, each wave growing darker and darker until it was near black, causing his eyes to almost glow venomously. His claws visibly flexed, giving everyone with a line-of-sight a glimpse of just how much damage they could do, never mind his exposed fangs.

_'Smart,'_ she admitted. The news of the jaguar in camp would have circulated by now, adding fuel to their fear. And now it stood before them, the simple beginnings of a legned made flesh and bone. It was a calculated move. Most workers were already making the "proper" association and backed away with their dirtied hands dropping their improvised weapons. It took half a step forward before some intelligence benefited them, and they left.

The majority ran like their lives depended on it; or walked away, glancing over their shoulders periodically to ensure that they weren't being stalked. Others still held their ground, weighing the cost of any action they might take before they tossed their stones and mud back into the ground angrily, knowing when they were outmatched; and possibly suppressed by the unknown of just how far each hero would go to protect their own.

Envy. Fear. Anger. It was nothing new to them. Everyone of those people undoubtedly felt one or more of those emotions, and each probably had a sanctimonious, self-satisfied, and indulgent reason for feeling that way. It was a shame that those feelings only further chasm the distance between the heroes and "normal" people.

Pantha sighed in frustration. It didn't matter that their provocation had been unfounded, it would be inevitably twisted into a dramatic and climactic news story that had little to no base if fact. They'd just have to deal with it when it came up. Still, she had much less to worry about now, save for public opinion south of the equator, and with that, Pantha turned toward her missing charge.

"_¡Jesús, María y José!_" Pantha invoked suddenly and heatedly, causing the remaining heroes to jump, her words somewhere between anger and relief. "Are you alright? We were worried sick!"

"I'm fine," Raven confirmed simply. "It's kind of a long story."

"Are you sure?" Jaime asked as his shield retracted, looking over Pantha's shoulder. "You've been missing for a full day, and now that you're back, you brought back…." He looked over the shapeshifter with bizarre confusion as the green goop resumed its canine form, "_that_."

"That _has a name you know,_" the Sheppard snarked, sitting to scratch his ear with his back paw as he sniffed lightly at the suited hero before growling. "_At least I don't have parasites._"

"_Krrrraaaah! K-k-krrrr-gaaaaaaa!_" Khaji clicked back.

As if met with a challenge, the green dog reformed, slinking and stretching himself into a massive centipede, each of its hundred legs looking like small stakes as it's carapaced body stood on end. It's forcipules pincered as small barbs began to grow on its chitinous armor, making it all the deadlier. With a few choice _clicks_ of his own, the changeling made a few verbal "greetings" – bug to bug – earning a few choice return _clicks_ back from Khaji.

"Don't make me wash our mouth out with soap," Jaime threatened, earning him a series of grumbles.

"Garfield, knock it off," Raven demanded at the same time, sensing the bad-mouthing contest in the air, "he's one of the new Titan's. Behave yourself."

The centipede's antennas rose in curiosity before dropping pitifully from the scolding. A couple chittery human words left its mandibles under its breath as it morphed back into a Sheppard, but eyeing Blue Beetle, or more accurately, his suit with a stink-eye.

"Wait. So his name is Garfield?" Jaime asked, his face beginning to scrunch in humor. "Like that cat?"

The changeling huffed. "_Here we go_," he stated expectantly.

Khaji Da grumbled a few notes to his host. "What do you mean you don't attack nature?!" Jaime argued back.

"So, you found him I see," Pantha noted, her tone lacking any indication of surprise. She had had her theories of course, but that mattered little in retrospect.

"Yeah," Raven acknowledged, looking down at her friend, who was also looking up at her with big canine smile. "More like he found me."

_'Well that's interesting,'_ Pantha noted.

"But why are you still in animal form?" Pantha continued in confusion, somewhat curious.

The dog huffed, looking away in embarrassed frustration. "_Because my clothes ripped when I morphed_," he whined.

This earned a humored smile from the luchador as she saw his nose scrunch. Blue Beetle however didn't possess the tact however, and just went straight to busting up laughing.

"Yeah-yeah, laugh it up," Beast Boy muttered grumpily.

_Pfft!_

She blinked as she noticed a tuft of red sticking out of his very green fur. He seemed equally puzzled, turning to look at the discolored blossom on his rump. "_Um? That's new_."

_Pfft!_ Another red tuft sprouted on his neck.

"Garfield?" Raven asked, noticing the additions herself.

"_This is why…_," he started groggily, swaying slightly, "_…I didn't… test artificial toxins… on myself_."

_Pfft! _With a groan, he keeled over, splashing limply onto the ground. "_God, that's some potent stuff,_" he moaned uncomfortably.

"Garfield?!" Raven was already kneeling down, gently feeling in his fur before she found what she was looking for. She pulled sharply, holding something up for everyone to look at. A thin but long plastic cylinder rotated between her fingers, one end tipped with a needle, the other end feathered with red fibers. She only allowed herself a glimpse of it before it was encased in a black aura, obliterating it as its very molecules were scattered like dust. "Who. Tranqed. Him?"

As if to answer her question. "So, ya brough' back theh anomaly." She looked up to see one incredibly pleased Clancy Martins with a cartridge rifle slung over his shoulder. He didn't register the others, looking at the changeling with an interest that Raven found borderline repulsive as he bent down in next to the him. With careful hands, he pulled out his remaining darts, running a large hand softly over his fur. "Ta think, the Amazon pushed somethin' like this out. I haven'' heard of anythin' lyke this since I did a stint in Africa." He looked up at Raven with a pleased smile. " I''s prawbably the rarest specimen in thuh wo'ld right now. And ya even got it to give ya a ride. Wha'd ya use? Some hoo-doo mind boggle?"

His shock became apparent when they heard the tell-tale _slurch_ of Beast Boy morphing, revealing a very _human_ form as his unconsciousness finally settled in. A black barrier erupted, forcing Clancy Martins to stumble back as Raven came to stand between him and the shapeshifter. He had a full head or two on her, but what she lacked in height, she made up for in Rage as her aura grabbed him by his weapon, suspending him several feet off the ground by the rifle strap. Even without her hood on, her second set of eyes visibly opened as her canines pointed. Her cloak seemed to stretch underneath her as she grew in height, looking at him eye-to-eye. "_Touch him, and I'll remove your fingers bit by bit, starting with your fingernails_."

"Wha?"

"Martins," Pantha interrupted calmly, gently reaching above her head to put a palm on Raven's shoulder to calm her down. "You just shot one of our friends, and a dear teammate of ours. This is Beast Boy."

The cold sweat drop on the hunter's face was instantaneous as his eyes blinked blankly. "Ya mean ta tell me, tha beastie is… human?" He then turned to Raven's _four_ eyes and flinched slightly.

"_Yes_," Raven bit, atomizing the weapon to let Martins drop with a _splash!_ to the ground. She shrunk back down, breathing gutturally as she turned back around to her fading barrier. Sighing in resignation, she pulled her cloak off, lifting Beast Boy with her powers so she could properly wrap him up. All she had to do was… not look. Easy enough. "Idiot gets to sleep even when he's not supposed to," she mumbled.

Clancy watched in confusion before noticing the very human shaped head of his target, snoring loudly with a small booger bubble expanding and deflating on his nose. "Oh… though' i' was just an animal."

"Well, then you'd be wrong," Raven growled, darkness enshrouding her and her charge before she spirited them away, leaving a couple of confused heroes and a mess Pantha had to clean up.

"Let's go back to the command tent," she offered, already guiding them away from where the scene had played out. "I will do my best to explain. Though, I am missing a few pieces myself."

* * *

_A few hours of drug-induced sleep later…_

Beast Boy blinked groggily from a state of half-conscious, only partially cognizant of his unfamiliar surroundings. He was primarily aware of the trail of drool currently sticking to the side of his face, and the morning (technically evening) breath that came with it. He sat up, drool still lazily dripping from his chin as grazed his gaze over his surroundings.

_'A tent. I'm in a tent.'_ Moaning slightly, his tongue _slurp_ed out, licking the drool off his face before as he inhaled deeply. _Snnnnnnnnn_. "Herbs?" he wondered as he processed the smell, still feeling bleary. He was half tempted to flop back down and go back to sleep.

He was just settling back in when light snoring jolted his attention. "_Gyah!_" he shrieked, turning into a tiny turtle to retract into his shell as he _thump_ed onto the cot. His wide eyes blinked nervously, staring face-to-face with… "_Raven?_" he chirped in confusion. His head poked out of his shell. Her head was laying on her arms, resting on the edge of the cot he'd been sleeping on.

The little green turtle felt pink flush in its cheeks as it slowly crawled over to her, its little turtle neck stretching further out as its little turtle nose took small, cautious sniffs. Yep. It was Raven. He frowned in thought, wondering how she could sleep in such an uncomfortable position.

Without further thought, in one moment, a massive serpent sprung from his place, gently coiling around her before lifting her onto the bed and uncoiling to let her slide out. The next moment, he was a Saint Bernard, pulling the covers over her with his mouth. When all was said and done, he was simply human again, staring at her with a soft smile that overshadowed his eyes. It was one of the few times he'd seen her asleep, but he treasured it as much as he could; it was rare to see Raven so relaxed after all. It made him happy.

Now if only he had a camera. Raven sleep pics were worth their wordage in blackmail.

He bit his tongue to keep from purring like an idiot, smiling a little brighter before looking down at himself with a resigned sigh that dampened his mood. _'I _really_ need some good clothes'_ he grumbled, not at all happy with his bare state. Funny as it was, he didn't mind his state of nakedness. Animals didn't wear clothes, and it felt great not to be constricted or restrained by the fabrics. But now that he was found again, he was feeling self-conscious about being – or his lack thereof – dressed.

He turned to leave, giving Raven one last glance before slinking out the tent flaps and mosquito netting. He shifted into a mouse – less attention that way – as he quickly filed through a couple of nearby tents, searching for something resembling fitting before he popped back out onto the makeshift streets between the tents, bare-chested and bare-footed, but with a clean pair of work jeans on. It was the best he could do, especially since he drew a chasmic-thick line at wearing someone else's underwear. There were some things that no dude should ever have to experience. That was one of them.

His appearance was uncharacteristic and wild, especially with his hair reaching to his shoulders, but he didn't mind. With a frown, he realized that Raven was probably going to make him cut his hair when they got back to the Tower, and he sighed, already accepting his fate. Not like he'd be able to say "No" to her. Or avoid her.

Or escape her.

_'Well crud,'_ he moaned, crying crocodile tears for his hair. It wouldn't happen until they got back to the Tower however. And… … _now_ he was putting his brain on its usual "Tangent" setting to stop from thinking about anything remotely anxiety inducing or important.

Despite how nervous he was about returning to Jump City, he was looking forward to seeing his old team again. Well… most of them. He just hoped his absence hadn't caused any more problems outside of what Raven told him. Hence the anxiety.

He flinched when a clump of mud interrupted his train of thought by introducing itself to his face, his eyes snapping closed just in-time to feel the impact. He blinked his eyes open, turning to find a couple workers preparing for round two. Rather than confusion to this act, he frowned, barely giving them his full attention before he continued walking; like a predator with bigger prey to stalk. He didn't have to see them to dodge their second volley, letting his instincts temporarily take the reins. He had to consciously avoid giving them a second glance, lest he do something compulsive. While it had been years since he'd known this level of animosity, he wasn't unfamiliar with it. People who didn't understand something different, foreign, or alien allowed anger and misgivings to cloud their judgement, and Beast Boy was no stranger to this. He'd been green and animalistic since he was a kid; and he'd been used to it – even half expecting it – by the time he was old enough to understand the meaning of the word "prejudice". And like most things he experienced from childhood, he rarely forgot.

A pair of third eyelids slid sideways across his eyes after he shook off most of the residual dirt, as he kept an acute focus on his surroundings. He was met with the same gaze just about everywhere he went. While most of the people he saw were wary, and rightly so, others were openly hostile with their gazes. But nothing warranted concern in his opinion. His instincts could read the air, and he couldn't help the small smirk on his face when he realized that they stank of fear. They were afraid of him. And rightly so. While he'd like to attribute their looks to jealousy of his slam-dunk entrance, he knew better. It wasn't even as simple as the fact that he could tear into any of them with so little effort, or that his presence was hostile to their long-forgotten primal instincts.

They were just people who didn't understand that he was still a person just like they were; despite the green skin, canines, pointy ears, and ability to rewire the majority of his genetic code.

It didn't take long to get to where he was headed, his nose leading him intuitively. Eventually, he came to a small clearing in the sea of tents, a large circle of stones stacked with burning wood was an interesting sight. He hadn't expected a campfire in a camp like this, but he liked the setting and ambiance it provided. He found his target by scent, smiling slightly when he saw Pantha sitting on a large log sipping at a cup as she stared into the flames. He began to approach when–

"_SEÑOR _BEAST BOY!"

He was immediately swept up in a whirlwind of near nonsensical Spanish, and crackling extra-dimensional electricity as the twins rushed around him. They were poking and prodding at him rudely before they stood still in front of him, their eyes shooting streams.

"_Es un hermano milagro! ¡Nuestro querido líder ha vuelto!_" Mas cried, trying to stop his tear ducts to no avail.

"_¡Nunca había sido tan feliz en mi vida!_" Menos agreed, trying to fight his own tears. The torrent of emotions reached an all-time high as the twins clutched together sobbing into Beast Boy's pantleg as discorded cries bawled while they tried to comfort each other at the same time as hug him.

"Um?" Beast Boy looked at them without a clue what they said as he gently patted them on the head, trying to remember when they were this tall. He could only chuckle as he tried not to complain about the tears wetting his only "acquired" clothing. "Hey guys."

"They missed you _niño_," Pantha translated with a smirk. "We all did." She moved away from the fire, approaching him with open arms.

He chuckled, accepting her embrace as her arms encompassed him. It took only a moment for his instincts to start screaming as he felt the air suddenly leave his body, and his eyes nearly popped out of his sockets from the force.

"If you _ever_ pull a stunt like that again _mijo_," he heard whisper menacingly next to his ear, "they will _never_ find your body. Am I clear?"

She allowed the smallest of slack appear for him to breathe. "Crystal," he whimpered, his eyes the size of saucers while the twins' arms latched to his legs began to tremble. Evidently his primal superiority didn't work on supers. Or maybe it was a chick thing? _'Note-to-Self.'_

She backed away, giving him a clear view of her face. There was… disappointment. And he couldn't meet it head on as he averted his gaze. "You've been missing for four months," she chastised. "_Four_. _Months_. Do you know what that has done to your team?" When she didn't get a response, she tried a different approach. "Do you know what that has done to Raven?"

His flinch was the reaction Pantha needed, though she could already see that he knew exactly what he did; that Raven had shown him the effect of his leaving. "Beast Boy, many people look up to you. Myself included. You gave us hope when we were at our most vulnerable, and weakest. That doesn't mean you have to be your own source of strength. Even if your team couldn't help, you have so many of us to support you. There was no need to disappear."

His eyes narrowed somberly. "It wasn't that simple," he whispered, one of his hands trailing up along his face, his claws trembling as he allowed them to graze where his sharper canines stood behind his cheeks. He still remembered what blood taste like. More specifically, what _her_ blood tasted like: it had been sweetly horrifying. And bitterly invigorating. Both desirable, and repulsive. "There were some parts of me I didn't have control of. So… I guess it was mostly learning to accept that some things can't be controlled." The blood still flaking under his claws from the jaguars was proof of that. He thought he'd finally harnessed his inner-beast, only to lose control once again.

He looked up when he heard Pantha chuckle, surprised to hear the sound when he was being serious. "The key, _niño_, is to change the things we can, accept the things we can't, and hope we have the wisdom to know the difference. The past is past now." She looked at him earnestly, resting a supportive hand on his shoulder. "Just remember, if there's someone who knows control better than anyone, it's Raven, yes? You can rely on her if no one else."

His eyes widened slightly as that sank in, his breath catching. He hadn't thought of that. If anyone could understand his predicament… it was the person who witnessed it… both times. She had struggled with controlling her powers, and all the facets that came with it. He'd been there to watch over the years as she struggled to keep her powers checked; and how he had _strained_ her attempts to control it. Now he was struggling with the same thing, and she was there to _support_ him.

Guilt rose up in him as he replayed some his memories with the Teen Titans, watching as his younger self kept pushing Raven's buttons with no regard or sympathy. _'I really am an idiot,'_ he thought deprecatingly, scratching the back of his head. It was another moment of letting that feeling wash over him before he looked back at her.

"C'mon," Pantha stated, punching him lightly in the shoulder. "I know a place with shitty _café_. We have a lot of catching up to do." He was about to follow her when he felt a tug on his pants. Menos was looking up at him, his face marked seriously.

"_La señorita Raven rechazó mis avances de afecto_," he said dejectedly before looking up at Beast Boy seriously. "_No sé si la mereces, pero parece que ella te ha elegido. Ella es una mujer hermosa, así que no le rompas el corazón, jefe. Trátala bien_." He fixed Beast Boy with another serious stare before walking over to another log to stare at the fire.

"_Dios. Muy intense_," Mas commented as he followed after his brother, giving Beast Boy a light shrug before he returning to his twin.

Beast Boy waited for a moment before shrugging it off. "Still don't understand Spanish guys."

…

Pantha offered him a styrofoam cup filled near to the brim as they squatted next to fire. Most of the workers were openly avoiding them, but he took it in stride, meeting their glances with an air of indifference. He took a sip of coffee, glancing at how the fire danc–

"_Ppppttthhhhh!_" he sputtered, spitting his coffee out before coughing up a storm. "Wha– What is this shit?" he asked sourly, his eyes watering. "It tastes like some added a spoonful of 'disappointment' and stirred in some 'I hate your life more than I hate mine', then mixed in dirt to dull the flavor."

Pantha roared with laughter, barely keeping the contents of her own cup from spilling. It took a couple seconds, but she calmed down, taking a hearty sip of her own as she tried shaking off the humor. Beast Boy waited for her to cough hers up but was sorely disappointed. "This is as good as it gets _mijo_. It's the only _café_ around, so you learn to like it."

He made a face before setting his cup down, a serious look crossing his face. "You didn't look surprised to see me when we got back," he stated. "I figured I ask you why."

Pantha just chuckled. "I had my suspicions you were in the area. It was even more so when I heard the animals in the area were being more active but weren't fatally attacking. Still, nothing concrete mind you." She leaned back against the table. "I just figured you were influencing it somehow."

"Not that I'm aware of," he countered, scratching the top of his head in thought. "Sure the animals have been acting weird, but I don't think it has anything to do with me. I just scared them." Then he shivered. _'Or _attracted_ them.'_

Pantha didn't appear too convinced, but she didn't argue with him, instead taking another drink. "So what are you going to do now? As you Americans say, "the jig is up". You were found."

He stared absently into the fire, finding a particular ember he enjoyed looking at as he thought about his answer. "I guess I'll go back to Jump City, see if the team will let me come back.

"Not that Raven will give any of us much choice," he added in after thought, finding it was a little easier to smile. "I might need to find a new place to get peanut butter squares if the city's changed again."

"If I may ask, what have you missed most?" Pantha asked, leaning on her conjoined hands with piqued interest, her cup dangling between them. "About civilization?"

Beast Boy looked up in thought, before his face turned grim. "Honestly? Nothing."

When Pantha didn't ask questions, he clarified. "Life is simpler out here. Eat what you can find, sleep when you need to. There're no alarms blaring because some villain decided that midnight was a good time to rob a bank. There were no impromptu training sessions. I set my own schedule and goals, and honestly, it was easy without having anyone breathing down my neck. I trained myself, improving what I needed in ways that felt… right. I was the only motivation I needed out here. There was no one to leech my time and energy, and I didn't have to deal with people in general. Nothing I did out here was a waste of time because I didn't have any expectation to live up to.

"Granted, the food was bland with so little variety to choose from, and the water needed purified, but it was still easy. Out here, I didn't need for anything because nothing was needed from me."

"What about our friends?" Pantha inquired, noting the how the air around the changeling stirred.

"I missed them," he answered softly, "but it was less stressful without them. Like I said, there was no expectation. No one to pressure me to hurry up and go back, so I could progress at my own pace. No fear, no pity, no… anything really. Once all that was gone, things just naturally came to me. I still thought about them, but it came and went."

"Well, it's still good to have you back _mijo_," Pantha stated, somewhat disappointed in his answers. Despite that, she could appreciate his need for solitude. It still seemed like he was holding some things back, but she resigned herself with knowing that she wasn't the one who could bring all of his secrets out. However…. "If I may ask another question, did something happen between you and Raven?"

To his credit, Beast Boy didn't look fazed as he cocked his head, one ear raising lopsidedly. "Wha'cha mean?"

Pantha smiled at his apparent lack of understanding. "I believe that is the only time I have seen someone make the "puppy-eyes" at anyone… while an actual puppy," she stated, grinning like a panther with its prey as visible traces of discoloration traced up the changelings neck and face. "Oh? Now I'm curious."

"It's nothing," he squeaked, his hands clamping together to keep from fidgeting. Tell-tale signs that it was "something". She felt she could tease him more, but decided to drop it, having already attained _exactly_ what she wanted to know.

Speaking of whom….

Beast Boy's nostrils unconsciously flared, and a small chord struck the back of his mind with pleasant shiver. A small smile tugged at his lips as Raven walked into his peripheral vision, her hair slightly disheveled and her eyes half-closed.

"Hey sleepy head," Beast Boy greeted, earning a half-groan of greeting and the slightest of upturns in the corner of Raven's mouth.

She looked at the full cup of coffee at his feet before looking back up at him. "You gonna drink that?"

"Be my guest."

It was encompassed in a dark aura, and hands-off brought to her lips as she sat down next to him.

"Having fun yet?" she droned, not quite awake as the warmth hit her stomach, so she took another sip of the coffee. She too was unaffected by its nasty taste, causing Beast Boy to scrunch his nose slightly.

"'Bout as good as can be expected," Pantha replied, joining Raven with another drink, smiling pointedly behind her cup.

"Martins isn't around, is he?" Raven asked, causing Pantha to stiffen at the sudden question.

"No. I thought it best he steered clear for a little bit," Pantha admitted, cupping her hands around her coffee. "At least until it was clear you were calm. You did obliterate his rifle after all."

"Who now?" Beast Boy asked.

"The guy who tranqed you," Raven scowled, her mental hold on her cup shaking as its contents began to boil suddenly. "He shot you."

"Hmm. Not like it's the first time I've been tranqed," the changeling dismissed. Raven looked at him in disbelief, but he just waved it off. "I've been knocked out for longer periods of time than that. It's no big deal."

"No big deal?" Raven repeated, her scowl deepening at his downplay. "He shot you!"

"Mmm-hmm," he nodded, continuing to glance at the fire.

"Beast Boy. He shot you."

"Yep."

"Beast Boy."

It was Beast Boy's turn to scowl as he turned back to look at her. "Yes Rae-Rae?"

The tick-mark on her forehead aside, her eyes bored into his as her coffee began to hiss. "He. Shot. You. What if that had been a real bullet?"

He shrugged, irritating her further. "Then it was lucky that I had the coolest doctor in the world in arms reach. Besides, it wasn't a real bullet, so don't worry about it."

She fought down the heat she felt on the back of her neck, opting to glare pointedly at the fire in front of them as though she could make it burn hotter; which she could, but decided not to. She didn't look any more convinced but decided to drop it. For now. It wouldn't do any good to push for a fight the day she'd just got him back. But that didn't mean she was letting it go just yet. Taking a deep breath, she calmed the percolating liquid in her cup before moving to drink it again.

"So, what are your plans?" Pantha asked, hoping to diffuse the tension.

"Since my job is essentially done, I plan on heading back to Jump tomorrow," Raven stated, turning back toward Beast Boy. "I'm hoping that _someone_ knows what's good for him and will come along peacefully."

The changeling's grin returned in-force. "Wouldn't dream of fighting back," he replied cheekily before stretching. "Besides, you. Me. A several hour flight in an enclosed space. What could go wrong?"

_'Ooooh, yes please,'_ Passion teased, before she was smacked over the back of the head.

_'Down girl,'_ Rude ordered, shaking the slight sting from her utilized hand.

Raven's blush crawled farther up her neck as she mentally swore; she hadn't thought of that, and it showed. She intuitively cut off her emotions before they could continue to voice their approval of this plan. "Then you'll just have to be something small and cozy," she gritted out.

_'A cat. Have him turn into a cat,'_ Happy purred likewise.

She regretted that the moment she saw the gleam in his eye. "Oh, no worries about that.

"By the way, how much trunk space does your ship have?"

Pantha just smirked as she watched them, she was content with just being in their peripherals. There would be time tomorrow to discuss the next course of action, but right now, she was entertained, clearly aware of something they weren't. _'This turned out better than I had hoped.'_

* * *

_421 Bakers Ave, _Paper Wings_, Jump City, California…_

Morgan Lassiter opened her apartment with a sigh, half-tempted to collapse on the wood floor amidst her plethora of plants. She put her keys in their bowl, hung up her coat and purse before moving to collapse on her couch. Saying she was exhausted was an understatement. She had just come back from Jump U, having completed four classes and a chapter test. Not to mention the pop quiz her Chemistry class had been surprised by. And before all that had been another early morning through afternoon shift.

She groaned as her brain started protesting even thinking about it, a pointed headache stabbing into the left side of her forehead. She groaned again, getting to her feet to go make some tea. Meanwhile, the redhead raged about Trigonometry. _'If I didn't need the math credit, and wasn't so mentally exhausted right now, I'd burn you and your classroom to the ground, Misses Holland! I don't care how many certificates you hang in your office! I don't care that you have tenure! If you can't show the bare minimum effort to teach a class, then don't become a teacher!'_ She'd spent the semester thus far in rage, and it didn't look like it would be changing any time soon. The only reason she had stayed late tonight was to get tutoring and help with the assignments she _wasn't_ being taught how to do.

As such, all these things amassed into the massive headache she was currently fighting off.

Just as quickly as she raged, she burnt out from emotional exhaustion, setting her kettle on the stove before cranking it up. A quick setup of some Lavender Moonlight tea with honey, and she walked back to the living area while she waited. "Satoshi?" she mumbled, looking around hazily for her dog before moving on to her bedroom. Sure enough, there was the old fart dog laid snugly on her bed, not even bothering to greet her. Without another word, she crawled next to the Akita, gently wrapping her arms around him and holding him close for snuggles.

She was tired, she was angry, and she was about in tears from stress. Her body hurt. Her head hurt. And to top it all off, she didn't feel like she would be getting any sleep tonight. She just wanted to cry and get it out, but she wanted the benefit on not losing her _fluffle-snuggily-foof_ because she got his fur wet.

Satoshi moaned a 'welcome home' before readjusting himself until her arm was a little more comfortable, sighing through his chops as he fell back to sleep. They weren't laying there more than a few minutes before the kettle began to whistle, much to her pooch's chagrin. Both dog and owner groaning, Morgan got up, going through the motions of turning off the stove and pouring hot water into her cup.

She settled down at her dining table, letting her tea cool a little as it steeped while she picked up a book she hadn't interacted with since she'd first seen it last night. The grimoire and spellbook of one "_Rorek of Nol_", an Arch Mage and Wizard of the Third Order.

And a complete asshole!

It had been a single day since the spellbound wizard had muzzled her dog, and she was still sore about it. Granted, it wasn't every day that you found the tome of a great spellcaster. It was even rarer – bordering on non-existent given it was happening to her now – to find said caster trapped in his own spellbook. But still, he'd _muzzled her dog_. As far as she was concerned, he deserved to be trapped in his book.

"_Are you going to continue glaring at me? Or was there something on your mind?_" Speak of the wizard.

Morgan grumbled as she set down the tome. "Just royally pissed at you." True. And straight to the point. "And debating on what the hell I'm supposed to do with a trapped Wizard of the Third Order."

"_I'd say, "Please, let me go," but that doesn't appear to be an option, seeing as I'm not exactly mobile,_" the book commented dully. "_As such, I shall… … …._"

"What was that?" she questioned, absently checking the temperature of her tea with her pinky. It was perfect. If a book could look reluctant, it did. So while she waited for… it? …Him? …to speak up, she took a sip of her drink.

"_I shall… require your… assistance_."

"Wow," Morgan commented, "that must have been painful."

"_When you're a wizard as powerful I was, asking for help is…_." Morgan imagined he was rolling his shoulders, trying to find a word that was befitting.

"'Difficult'?" she inserted for him, raising an eyebrow at him. Once again, she had to remind herself that he didn't have eyes to see her expression.

"_And it's especially… "difficult"… to ask assistance from a fellow practitioner. If we wizards don't have our pride, what do we have?_" It seemed like a genuine question.

"Well, _help_ for one thing," she answered, taking another sip. "However, you made a statement that you would need my help, buuu_t_, you haven't asked for my help yet. So?"

She could feel a frown coming from the grimoire. "_You're going to make this difficult, aren't you?_"

"Only as long as you choose to make it so." She was once again subjected to the silence of waiting. As exhausted as she was, she wasn't moving an inch until he took the first step. If he required her help, then he was gonna have to ask like a normal person, whether or not he counted as that.

"_I… would… ask… for your… assistance,_" the book forced out, before adding that sweet cherry on top that she had been waiting for. "…Please_._" It sounded so forced out, it wasn't (was) funny.

Morgan felt that little adrenal jolt in her body that was immediately associated with "Victory" and "Satisfaction". A small, Cheshire grin slowly enveloped the redhead's face before she tamed it down with a healthy dose of logic. "Thank you for asking," she replied, hearing a book-bound grumble that brought her no shortage of amusement. "But it does depend on what kind of help you're looking for. Depending on the risks, I won't be able to provide help for some of your requests." The lesson: You don't sign blank checks for anyone. Period.

"_That's understandable,_" he reasoned. "_You are an enchantress. Protecting your own interests is notable._"

"That's… one way to put it." _'Like my dog, my customers, my employees, my home, my coffee shop, my education… just to think of a few.'_

"_Very well. Now then…_." She could practically see him silently clearing his throat. "_…Seeing as we haven't been properly introduced, might I ask the name of the woman who has forced me to beg for assistance._"

_'Not just an asshole, but a cheeky one at that,'_ she thought humorously.

"Morgan. Lassiter," she complied, trying to remember how to make acquaintance as most magic users would; it wasn't like she was "properly" taught after all. She just shrugged and gave it a shot. "Self-taught Novice Castor. Unidentified magic-origin." _'Probably Enchantress?'_ "Private sector."

Non-existant eyebrows seemed to raise. "_So you mean to tell me, you have no master, no origin, and no House, Coven, or… anything?_"

"That sums it up," Morgan admitted proudly.

"_Then you do yourself too little credit,_" the book stated. "_Very few get as far as you have on skill or luck alone. "Talent" would be a better word for it. A natural affinity for magic._

"_If you were officially inaugurated, I would assume you would at least make the Sixth Sigil, if not the Fifth. Despite your mannerisms, you are, without a doubt, an Enchantress._"

_'Hashtag, called it,'_ she mused, mulling over his praise. "And you? I know you're name, and station, but what else."

"_I am Arch Mage and Wizard of the Third Order,_" he reiterated, "_Sorcerer of the Second Blood, and Warlock Patron of the Dragon Sect. I am master of arcane, natural, infernal, and a multitude of other magics; under the tutelage of Merlin Ambrosius, Pinnacle Mage and Wi–_"

"You studied under the most powerful wizard and sorcerer in history, and you still ended up trapped in a book?" Morgan snorted, trying to bite back a laugh. "So much for all them titles." Though one thing did catch her attention: Mister _of Nol_ was a sorcerer. And there could only be one reason for that.

The grimoire sighed dejectedly at her interruption but seemed to understand that this was going to be a regular thing; probably better he realized it sooner, rather than later. "_I have theories as to why that may have happened. Hence why I am in need of assistance, given my lack of… appendages at the moment._"

"So, oh Rorek of Nol," Morgan dramatized, sleep utterly forgotten. "What is it you require of me first?"

She frowned when he went silent, seemingly pondering his choice of words. "_First off, I should like to become acquainted with your world. It's my understanding that I have been trapped for an extended period of time, and thus am lacking in any social and historical knowledge considered remotely modern._"

"Is that all?" she asked in genuine surprise. "You don't want… I don't know… released or something?"

"_That will come with time and patience,_" he answered. "_For now, simply understanding the now will give me context. If you could perhaps bring me to the nearest library and allow me to accompany you on a few of your outings, I should like to try familiarizing myself with this modern world._"

"And what do you want me to do? Read a whole library to you?" she asked sarcastically.

"_I have ways of absorbing such knowledge,_" he stated proudly. "_Despite the loss of all abilities related to my physical form, those retained to my mind are still accessible, I assure you. It should make for an enlightening experience._"

Morgan saw nothing unreasonable with his request. Plus he was a relatively open book… literally. Despite her initial mistrust, familiarization with one's environment was an essential step for people outside time. At least… that's what the movies made it out to be. In addition, the fact he openly prioritized gathering intel over getting out of his book. It suggested preparation for a long-term arrangement in the event of his release.

"Sounds fine," she answered, still slightly suspicious as she went over his request from multiple angles. She went to take a sip of her tea, only to find it was lukewarm, but drank it anyway. "In that case, be prepared, cause the world has changed a lot in the past couple centuries."

She could practically feel him smiling. "_I look forward to it._"

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys, long time no read! Just wanna say, glad to finally get this out. I went ahead and started wrapping up the Amazon quote- "Arc" -unquote. While I know I didn't answer all the questions you guys have asked, this is an over time process.

A few of you were curious about Raven's initial reaction to Beast Boy killing the jaguars; and I will say that was just it: the initial reaction. I went ahead and elaborated on some of the feelings surrounding that just for you guys. While it isn't resolved by any means, it's a start.

It was a lot harder than I thought it would be to bring them back to the camp, mostly because I wasn't sure how to wrap it up cleanly. This is my best attempt, so I am looking forward to your guys' thoughts on the matter. Parts of it included glimmers of old Beast Boy and sociological impacts and stigmas. This stuff can happen, and I don't think we see enough of it in most fanfic's, especially in places where super's are either rare, or their abilities are just "frightening" in general. Also note, Beast Boy getting tranqued wasn't a random deal ;) There was a purpose.

Beast Boy talking with Pantha was the only part I truly had planned. Mainly it was to serve from a place of peer respect; Beast Boy especially has Pantha's respect after the events of "Calling All Titans" and "Titans Together" (S5 E11 and 12 respectively), and I wanted to play out a conversation between the two of them, especially since they've probably talked infrequently during the Time-skip between the Series and the Sequences.

With the Amazon coming to a close, I went ahead and reintroduced Morgan Lassiter, seeing as she'll be playing both a major and minor role in this Sequence. Ah yes. And our special guest, Mister _of Nol_.

Once again, this is a Rough Draft, so if there is anything that needs edited, or is connecting in a weird way for you guys, let me know and I'll try to clean up the text. I do accept grammar and spelling errors too. (*A copy and paste, but hey, some things are worth repeating for you fine folk*)

As always (and I'll just keep posting this because its true), keep posting your constructive criticisms, as they will help me know what to look for in my future writings, and for the days I decide to do a hard edit. A writer should never stop growing, and I have no intention of stopping now.

Please Read and Review, and Private Message if you're shy or prefer your inquiries to be... well, private. Please indulge my curiosity, and let me know what parts you liked, what parts need work, and overall what you guys think about it :D

Upcoming _Magicks That Bind_ \- Chapter 7: _Civilized_ (I'm 90% positive I'll use this as the chapter title, and 35% sure that I won't)


	8. Chapter 7: Homeward Bound

Arc 1: "Jungle Law" – Chapter 7: Homeward Bound

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**A/N:** Hey guys, long time no read!

I have semi-big news for the series after the chapter, so be sure to read that. Also, trying out a new behind the scenes marker feature. Let me know how it looks and works for you guys.

_**Review Responses:**_

-"Eris": Not necessarily/Maybe. While one ecosystem isn't necessarily the end-all-be-all, I'm going to leave it open for now, in-case I get the chance to write about it. I don't want to close off that line of thought just yet. While it would be intriguing, animals actually can't connect to the Red, even if they are a part of it (kind of like being a part of the Multiverse, but unable to connect or reach across it). DC was never really open as to why that was, but for the most part, only humans and a few aliens have been known to connect to the Red.

-Mr. Ursine: Hopefully. But that will still take a lot of time.

-Invictus Icarus: That was kind of the vibe I was going for. Or at the very least, old friends catching up. I'm glad that it was a good scene.

I don't know what you're talking about... ;) ;) ;)

As much as I want to tell everyone why Beast Boy got tranqued, that's something for a later chapter, mostly because it involves a little bit of time passing, and I'd like to keep things as linear as possible time-wise.

Raven does still have a few days before she needs to pick up the kids. I'll be covering it in a few chapters, mostly because there's a lot to cover in the next couple "days" in story before I go around with any time-skips.

And don't worry too much about Morgan. "Too much" being the operative phrase.

\- dld51: Well, it could be better, could be worse.

***End of Responses**

Disclaimer: I have I burrito and a cup of coffee. But I don't have Teen Titans.

**Read and Review if you have Questions, Comments, or Concerns (affectionately QCC)**

Without further ado. *Que the dimming of the lights*

* * *

Magicks That Bind: Arc 1 – "Jungle Law"

Chapter 7: Homeward Bound

_A work-man's camp alongside the Amazon River…_

Raven tapped her foot impatiently, half-looking at her communicator to check the time. No more than a minute had passed since she'd last looked at it. He was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago. It wouldn't be that much longer until noon, and the flight back to Jump wasn't a short one.

_'Why are we getting such a late start?'_ she asked herself rhetorically. _'Oh right! Because he has a habit of sleeping in!'_ She refused to admit that she had willingly let him to do so.

She was sitting next to her portion of the T-Ship on the chopper strip, becoming more and more impatient. But not worried. Beast Boy had needed to grab his stuff from his little hovel, and Raven had allowed him to go alone. She trusted him to come back….

…Because she'd threatened him with tortures unending if she had to hunt him down again. Worse, she might actually have to follow through with it if he decided to be testy. One could only threaten so often without actual repercussion if their threat was to retain its validity.

It also didn't hurt that she could feel his proximity via their Link. With it reestablished, it was like a faint cord was tethering them together, giving her an approximation of his distance and an exact direction to glare at until he showed up. _'I wonder if I could use that to portal to him?'_ she contemplated but thought better of it. If she didn't have a good grasp of what his surroundings were, she could end up half-phased into a tree. _'So we'd actually need to know how to share thoughts and images before that was plausible.'_ So she'd have to not only tell him about their Link, but also get him to agree to make it a freeway of information between them for that to work.

"Yeah. That's not a disaster waiting to happen," she muttered aloud before looking downward. They were already off-handedly exchanging emotions at times, and they'd immersed into a few of each other's memories. Was it that big of a step up? "Like going from drinking decaffeinated tea to ordering an eight-shot espresso," she alluded quietly, sighing somberly.

Despite the whiplash she felt over Beast Boy and his seemingly diverging natures, she wasn't feeling any less conflicted about having to talk to him about… well, everything. And the closer and closer it came, the worse and worse she felt. She hadn't thought this far ahead, and it was showing.

Step One: Locate him.

Step Two: Get him to come home.

Steps Three through Ten were sorely lacking any guidelines to follow. She honestly hadn't thought that he'd cave so quickly… or willingly. The whole uncertainty and suddenness of it was leaving a knot in her stomach… or was it a pit in her chest? Either-or. She hadn't expected it, and now it was playing games with her head.

She was getting a headache, and not for any lack of caffeine either. She gently reached around the clasp of her cloak, pulling at the cord around her neck until she held a sheer pouch that she kept on hand. It now looked like a used tea bag. The herbal contents had been soaked when she was caught in the rain, acting as a tea steep under her suit. She wiggled her enhanced nose irritably as she shivered. She smelled like someone had dripped jasmine, lemon, and peppermint oil down the front of her chest. Growling, she used the crumpled pouch for its intended purpose: to give her a focus, and to calm down. Crumpled wet heap or not, it still retained its purpose.

She closed her eyes as she left the ground to float in the lotus position, letting herself get lost in the mixed scents. Maybe if she meditated, she could enforce her patience a little; a commodity that was becoming rarer and rarer the longer she spent out here, even if it had only been a day or two. Even in her self-inflicted trance, she could still vaguely feel the gazes of passing workers. Azar only knew what ran through their minds when they saw her. Demon, monster, freak. It was nothing she wasn't used to; and judging by Beast Boy's response yesterday, it wasn't his first rodeo either. It was the first time she'd seen him on the receiving end of _that_ kind of scrutiny, and it surprised her how unaffected he was by it when he was a celebrated hero back in Jump. For once, it didn't feel like he was masking his feelings. He truly didn't care what they thought about him. It served as a reminder that they weren't "normal" even in the non-conventional sense.

_He_ had multiple pinnacle Apex beasts with unfathomable instincts and unquestionable primal superiority buried underneath all that unstable and evolving DNA. _She_ was directly descendant of an inner-dimensional demon incarnation of rage and destruction, with control issues and untapped depths to her powers that were best left under lock and key. Weren't they a pair?

Pantha was unhappy with the circumstances to say the least, but there wasn't much they could do. It was best to leave the workers and their opinions to themselves, no matter how out of line it was. While it was unclear whether or not Beast Boy was the "anomaly" in question, Raven was still leaving with him, and that left the luchador with wrapping up the Hero side of this little camping trip and preparing for them to go home. This included discussions with the money behind this little deforestation project, Antonio Santos-Costa.

She didn't envy Pantha in the slightest. Raven didn't need empathy to know that the guy was a prick, but her grievances were more focused at the Aussie. To say Clancy Martins had jumped the gun with tranqing Garfield was an understatement. Well, good riddance. Raven hadn't seen him since the fact, and she didn't think it wise to see him again. Just thinking about being in his vicinity sent a violent shudder through her body, one likely caused by a Cheshire–grinning Rage planning some violent revenge away from her "sisters" prying eyes. Pretty soon, this could all be put behind her once the changeling decided to show up.

_"Superhero landing theme song!"_

"Hmm?" Raven wondered, brows narrowed when she realized she'd heard it coming from within her own mind.

_"~Shot like a rocket up into the sky! _**{1}**

_Nothing can stop me tonight!_

_"You make me feel Invinci–~" _"_Oh shit!_" something crawed out loud. As suddenly as it had cut in, it cut out.

Her eyes shot open as she kited backwards quickly, something smashed into the ground, churning up dirt and debris as it plowed through where she had just been floating. She sighed heavily at the amount of kicked up dust with a light head shake of incredulity, doing her best not to breathe any of it in. She lifted a pale, dark encompassed hand before slapping it down, causing all the dust to settle immediately with a rushing "_foow!_". She frowned at the trench of churned up dirt, following it down the line until she saw a massive green form collapsed at the end of it, all limbs splayed out.

"I take it you didn't train in showing off these past couple months," she inquired without sparing the crass. "You're falling behind in that regard."

"_Mm-mhmm_," was the pained reply. A front limb lifted lightly, shifting the dust off it to reveal a massive wing. Slowly he clawed his way to his feet revealing his form with a trill of _click_s from his beak that held a growl under its breath. He shook and ruffled, throwing off any excess dirt and dust.

She recognized this form instantly from the last time she had entered his mindscape with J'onn. A head and beak that reminded her of a vulture but was distinctly raptor. She beheld its wide, slit eyes as its whole neck turned in place like an owl to look at her, supported by a neck that seemed to stretch from the body. Dark, course feathers flared from around its neck like a pluming mane. Its wings crawled on its foreclaw-like paw, the gait resembling a bat, the massive wing-tip feathers flaring like a war fan as he turned toward her, correcting the alignment of his head with his turn. Its torso was deep but sharp, as though it possessed the keel of a bird, with a slim feline abdomen. Its hind legs were fashioned like a feline's back paws but flexed as though it were bird talons. It ended with a very cat-like tail, tipped with bristling dark feathers just like its mane. **{2}**

Seeing a griffin from the confines of his mindscape was one thing. Through his mind, there was this muted sense of self that didn't quite reflect itself to Raven. But seeing it in the flesh just a few feet away as a bystander, with little to no connection to it was….

_'That's… frickin' majestic is what it is,'_ Brave whispered breathlessly. It may not have been a griffin as depicted by modern romanticism, more gut-retching ugly than its fantasy counterpart; but it was still a kind of… deadly and graceful "beautiful" in person.

Plus, it didn't hurt that it was an assortment of greens. Green always looked good.

The proper thing to do would be afraid. It was a deadly beast after all, with claws that could shred her in an instant and a beak that could snap her in half; and yet it filled her with a sense of child-like wonder she hadn't experienced in… Azar, she didn't know how long. In person, it gave a sense of imposing and size with its physical presence that had Raven's violet eyes widen in awe, her hand raising to touch it before she knew what she was doing. She felt Garfield tense as her fingers stroked between his mane feathers, feeling the short fur blending with it just underneath. He was warm, his pulse tangible at her fingertips, physically beating into her palm through his neck.

"Woah," she whispered wistfully, looking sideways at the large head, and the nebula green eyes that glimmered at her in amusement. "Shut up," she grumbled, but there was no real bite to it, still caught up in actually _feeling_ the creature in front of her. While one hand combed through its mane, the other reached over to brush the smooth of its beak. She exhaled deeply. Even the beak was warm. **{3}**

Her eyes blinked heavily, holding back misty tears as a soft chuckle escaped. _He_ was so alive, and warm, and vibrant, and powerful, and just…. There was that emotion again. The one she could feel, but could neither put a word to nor have her empathy feed off of. Like it was an emotion that was solely his to feel. And yet she didn't even have a proper word to sum it all up! No dictionary definition captured what she was feeling at her fingertips or through her chakra.

She sniffed in surprise when she felt his beak vibrate, a heavy series of chuffs breathing warmly as he turned his eyes to bore into hers with soft intensity, like his gaze projected a light weight. He gently leaned forward, bending his neck down until his beak grazed her stomach, and his brow settled on hers, still watching her pensively.

"_You okay?_" he asked in the gentlest voice he could muster with such a large body, a rumbling chirp. His voice vibrated through her from where his head met hers, her chakra humming pleasantly. Strangely, there were no emotions exchanged through the gem, just the echo of his voice washing over her.

"Yeah," she said with a barely perceivable smile. "Just… taking this hybrid form in," she admitted. "It's ugly as Hells, but even I'll admit, it's pretty cool."

A clicking cackle escaped his throat as he gently nudged her, almost causing her to lose her balance. She hugged around his beak to hold steady. "_I bet I got a lot more cool stuff in these helixes,_" he cooed softly.

He surprised her when he leaned in closer, his eyes closing in savor. Not to exchange emotions, or connect, but just to _be_. Raven froze at the contact, the awe disappearing as the intimacy of the gesture hit her full force. "Um…," she swallowed nervously, her entire emotional spectrum strangely silent in the exchange, and there being a very distinct lack of exploding powers. **{4}**

At hearing her heartrate accelerate rapidly and the hesitation in her voice, his eyes opening to meet hers again. Whatever he had expected to find, he wasn't expecting to see fear. "_Oh. Sorry._" He retracted from her, sliding from her hands with a mass of dejection that he quelled, burying it as deep as he could so it would never know the light of day again.

Raven felt a little piece of her leave when he did, but she couldn't call him back. Her powers and emotions had gone silent for the moment. Nothing could have prepared her for that. It had been… peaceful. Far more peaceful than anything she had associated before. And that terrified her. Absolutely terrified her in ways she didn't even comprehend. The blatant silence that had followed being the foremost cause of that terror. And her powers… her powers hadn't reacted.

_'What happened?'_ she asked, partially to herself, and partially to her quiet emotional spectrum. They, however, decided not to comment… or maybe they couldn't?

And despite Garfield trying to hide it, her empathy could sense the misery he had just buried, and the associations he'd made. He thought she was afraid of _him_, even after she'd told him she wasn't, that she was processing. She wanted to tell him otherwise, to tell him that it was her own fault. But the truth was that she was still trying to find a median between his seemingly opposing natures. Something, anything, that would make sense when she looked at him. She could only wallow in her own misappropriated feelings as he recovered sooner than her.

He lumbered past her, still transformed, as he followed the trench from his crash, looking around as he pressed past whatever… _that_ had been. True to the old Beast Boy, he was quick to put it behind him, pretending his heart was on his sleeve when it was in fact, hidden somewhere secret and sacred to protect it. As if he could put his heart in a suit of titanium plated armor.

"_Now where did I drop it?_" he wondered aloud, actually asking himself that question when he couldn't find the stuff he'd packed up. Some of it was probably broken from his crash-landing, but he'd worry about it later. Even his careful gazes didn't prevent him from catching the infrequent glimpses from the camp, and the active effort it took for some of its occupants not to stop and gawk. Then there were the not so subtle attempts to pretend that they hadn't seen him at all. It was just another day among humans. Well… "_normal_" humans.

Letting out a throaty grumble, he finally found the hard-to-miss messy wrap of rope and bags that he'd been carrying in his claws.

"I see your wrapping and packing skills haven't changed." He couldn't help the laugh that gurgled out, glad that Raven would never lose her sarcasm. Despite how awkward it had become, this relative distance between them was familiar and not wholly unwelcome. "Your knot-work looks like Starfire's hair after clogging the shower drain."

He shivered as his feline-raptor eyes widened, whipping around to look at the sorceress. "_You trying to make me jump ship before I even get on it?_" he asked in mock horror. "_Besides, I'll leave the Boy Scouts to Robin. Starfire's hair included._"

She caught the unsubtle innuendo in his word choice, and she couldn't help the smirk that crawled onto her face. "Just be prepared when we get back. A lot has changed." She suddenly felt a twitch of irritation when she thought about Jump City's power couple's more… public displays in the Tower over the past couple months. Call her a prude, but being engaged seemed to make them think that gave them a little (a lot) "extra" leeway when it came to "affection". Never mind the very potent signals her chakra picked up. "A little _too_ much."

It was hard to tell if that was a smile on his face or not. Beaks tended not to carry that emotional expression. Instead she had to look at his eyes to translate, and what she saw was easily a challenge. "_Well so have I,_" he protested with a pout in his tone that was unreadable on his bestial face. Clearly, he didn't understand the cause of her pain. _'Yet,'_ she thought, having to hide a smile at that thought. "_I didn't spend months of training and thousands of broken bones for nothing._"

_'Wait! What?!'_ Rage exclaimed, the first of her sisters to recover from their silence. _'What broken bones?! Who broke 'em?!'_

He didn't catch the expression on her face that demanded an explanation as he picked up his stuff, his beak hooking carefully under the lashed ropes. "Ith_ thar uh pwaff tuh puh deez?_"

"Don't talk with your mouth full," she scolded naturally, pulling the ship's key out from around her neck. With a _chirp-chirp_ and the _thunk_ of the two-hundred pound trunk door, the T-Ship wing revealed a sizable storage space just underneath the cockpit. With shadowy glow from her hand, she shed the ropes that held it all together and lifted them up, rearranging it slightly to ensure maximum space was taken up so it wouldn't jostle as much. Not that jostling was really a concern at… what? Near Mach One? Maybe Mach One-and-a-Half if she wanted to push the engine. Beast Boy had already crash landed with the bundles, so chances were that being jostled meant very little.

"You two packed up?"

Raven turned as she was closing up the trunk, more than a little happy that they were getting half-proper send off. Pantha stood there with her arms crossed, smirking at them like she knew something they didn't. It was strangely ominous. Mas and Menos were standing at attention, saluting the departing heroes, and surprisingly holding still for once. Then there was Blue Beetle, glancing at Raven worriedly… and glaring at Beast Boy suspiciously.

"_Yeah,_" Beast Boy crawed gutturally. "_Just the essentials. Rae and I decided to take a vacation from vacation. I was thinking the Bahamas. Maybe a round trip to India._"

"Rae-_ven_," Raven corrected with a roll of her eyes under her hood. At this rate, it didn't really matter what he called her, he wasn't going to stop. "A vacation from vacation is called going back to work."

"_And here I thought we were going golfing,_" the changeling joked. "_I was wanting to practice my drive-shot._"

"Do we look _that_ rich?" Raven demanded in response. "Who has time for golfing?"

Blue Beetle leaned over to the twins, not looking away from the oddity of it all. "Are those two always like this?"

"_Peor_," Menos confirmed blandly.

"_Es como ver a una pareja de ancianos casados a veces_," Mas stated with a _tsk-tsk_.

"Well?" Pantha stated, opening her arms. "At least say goodbye properly."

Raven sighed heavily. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

The luchador just smirked. "Nope."

Moaning in resignation, Raven floated over the trenched ground before reluctantly receiving Pantha's farewell. The larger woman wrapped her in an encompassing hug, causing Raven's spine to instinctively stiffen. _'Please make it stop,'_ she pleaded mentally.

"Good luck," Pantha whispered, lisping her natural accent to make it sound… sssensual.

"Huh?" Raven blinked in confusion, not sure what she was talking about as she was finally liberated from the evils of physical contact. "With what?"

"And you too," the luchador stated completely forgoing Raven's question, gesturing to the changeling. "Farewells are important. _¡Vamonos!_"

The changeling retreated behind Raven, hiding like child behind her despite his size far overshadowing hers. "_Why does everyone forget that human-me needs clothes?! Besides, I don't like getting my back broken for formality._" His feathers bristled defensively, his hackles erecting along his back as well.

"Just get it over with," Raven ordered, side-stepping out of the way. "The sooner you get done, the sooner we can leave. Besides, you'll have to morph smaller anyway."

She made a good point. "_Fine_," he grunted frustratedly as he crouched lower. Then the cracking began.

_'Oh. _Those_ broken bones,'_ Rage amended regretfully.

Raven forgot how pointed and sharp the sound was, wincing not just at the sound, but at the misshapen bulges of his joints dislocating and relocating and dislocating again as he slowly collapsed back in on himself.

She glanced at the others, knowing that this was their first time seeing him transform instead of morph. Pantha's smile had vanished immediately after she realized what was happening, her visage appearing as though someone had slapped her. The disbelief was the only thing masking her horror. Because who willingly subjected themselves to that level of torment? Mas had fainted immediately after the first convulsion of dislocated joints, knocking himself out cold. Beetle was patting Menos' back while the young speedster hurled up whatever he had eaten that day. Khaji Da was chittering nervously.

Raven was just glad that the others didn't get to see him transform _from_ human. _That_ involved ripping muscle, blood splatter, and bones breaking skin. It was like an anatomy class that lacked subtlety and invoked primal savagery. She felt a shiver dash up her spine just thinking about the gruesome levels of display, and not all of it was innocent. Half of her reveled in those things, even if she didn't want it to. It wasn't a… well it wasn't a kid-friendly view, especially when Beast Boy was beloved by plenty of children because he could turn into animals.

_'That might be something to discuss with Dick,'_ Raven realized. _'PR would have a field day with it if we don't jump ahead of it.'_ She groaned to herself in disgust, wondering when she started caring about Public Relations. _'Probably when I decided to become a mom.'_

Despite her thoughts, she knew varies forms of power demanded payment. Pain was but one of many, and by far one of the easiest and most common to extrapolate.

The human body had around two-hundred and seven bones by adulthood. Griffins generally had around two-hundred and fifty in number. But listening to every single one of them break was something Raven hoped she never got used to. She'd been half-tempted to take on some of his pain via their link. However, empathetically, she wouldn't be able to regulate how much she absorbed, probably blacking out in the process. Then again, it might require him to _let_ her take it for him. **{5}**

Left at an impasse, she watched and waited, owing him that much at least. When the final vertebrae of his spine aligned properly with a sickening _pop!_, Raven was already kneeling down, ice-blue energy fizzling at her fingertips as she put them along his spine. From there the energy spread, encompassing his pain-riddled body, seeking to ease the ache left behind by his reformation. "You gonna live?" she asked, feeling him shiver as the echoes of his pain were swiftly pulled back before she could properly feel and assess them. **{6}**

"Just… let me… catch my… breath," he huffed, half-consciously curling in a ball to minimize exposure. "Doing that… so many times… in two days… is… exhausting. Transformed… at least… four times… back and… forth. So… technically… eight times… with full… control."

Raven snorted, "Pushing yourself much?"

He barely looked up as he gave her his best cheeky grin. "I don't know. I probably have… one or two more in me," he stated as he slowly breathed easier, grunting when he felt a fist smack into his noggin, causing a signature Warner Brothers bump to rise.

"Keep hurting yourself, and I'll hurt you back," she growled, continuing to pour healing over him.

"Isn't that counterintuitive?"

"Wow. Six syllables. Never knew you had it in you," she smirked.

He chuckled back before rolling his shoulders, groaning as the instinctive recoil tension in his muscles caused by pain began to slowly loosen back up. "At this rate, I'm gonna need a masseuse. Or a chiropractor."

Raven nodded so-so, keeping one hand focused on relieving him while the other began unclasping her cloak. "What we _need_ is clothing that can handle a full transformation. I like keeping my cloak on, thank you."

He chuckled again, this time more nervous as she draped her cloak over his back. "Yeah… sorry 'bout that Rae. I know you like your nice, shadowy hood to block out the sun, so that'll be something to look into when I get back." Just to rub it in, he pulled her hood over his head, perking his ears up so it looked like he was wearing a horned cowl. She grumbled something about "Batman" under her breath, but didn't let up the soft, flowing energy that soaked into his body.

"What the hell was that?!" Jaime demanded, still patting Menos on the back. The twin tried to give a smile and a thumbs up, but it faded to a grimace as he turned and heaved all over again.

Both of them started, almost forgetting that there were others still present with them. "_That_… is none of _your_ business," Beast Boy growled, gritting his teeth rebelliously as he stood up carefully, pulling Raven's cloak carefully around himself to preserve his modesty.

"_Mijo_, are you alright?" Pantha was already in front of him, fretting him over him like a mother with her cub. "What the hell was that?!"

"Yeah, you get used to it after a while," he grinned casually, carefully reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. "That's what happens when your superpowers have superpowers?"

She frowned disapprovingly. Normally she'd inquire further, but Beast Boy was already in front of her, hugging the luchador gently. "I'll see ya soon," he reassured, giving her a comforting squeeze. Pantha didn't know how to respond, apprehensive about aggravating his body after what she'd just seen. "This hug is a limited time offer! Going once… going twice…."

Rolling her eyes underneath her mask, she carefully wrapped her arms around him, being far gentler than she had with Raven. "You take care _mijo_. And don't hurt yourself too much." A chuckled snort answered her, just before she cupped her hands over his ears and looked at the sorceress. "And take care of him. He's always struck me as carelessly getting himself hurt. This just proves it."

"Heeey! I can still hear you know!" he protested, shaking off her hands.

Raven smiled with her eyes. "Always."

With that Pantha released him, stepping back. "Then best get going you two. Take care, and we'll see you soon."

The sorceress nodded, already floating up toward the cockpit. Beast Boy just grinned, liquidizing into a large hawk before he snatched the cloak and began flying upward. "_See ya soon!_" he chirped, ascending quickly after the sorceress.

"Is it just me, or did that not make sense?" Beetle voiced.

"_¿Qué parte?_" Menos moaned as he sat next to his brother, poking the unconscious twin's cheeks.

"He can liquidize to morph… but he broke his body to morph," he replied. Khaji chittered and grumbled in response. "… Bio-Animorphic Genetic Reformation? That doesn't make sense."

"_Krrrr-grrrrrr-uuuuuu-krrr,_" Khaji explained simply.

"O-kay… that still doesn't make sense," Beetle argued with his parasite, looking more and more confused, even with an alien bio-mechanical symbiote "dumbing" it down. "What does _that_ have to do with it?" Khaji Da grumbled in response.

"It's not our place to understand _why_ his abilities work that way," Pantha stated simply, "merely knowing _what_ they do is enough. Some forms of are instantaneous, others take time and effort." She raised her hand and waved up toward the departing heroes as she stepped back, the T-Ship's wing segment letting out a high-pitched _whir!_ring as the ion particle fusion engine began to fire up.

"It's just… something about him sets me on edge," Jaime admitted, watching as the ship began to rise and its landing gear retracted before it rose above the treetops. Khaji Da was… something else. It was capable of unleashing weapons of mass destruction, adapting to powerful enemies (or obliterating enemies it couldn't develop adaptations to), and overall, was OP as hell! But over the past couple days, he had learned a few things.

For one, Raven had unknown but powerful magic capability; Khaji's initial analysis and hostile reaction to her had more than proven that. But most alarming was this new hero he'd only heard about before now. While Khaji hadn't appreciated the "parasite" jab from the changeling, there was a… begrudging respect… something Jaime had never felt emanate from his tenant. Coupled with it mentioning of a "truce with nature" as the bug had described; as long as the changeling didn't attack, it wouldn't attack. And then there was the sensors that had gone off in proximity to the shapeshifter. **{7}**

_"You _should_ fear it Jaime."_ He audibly heard the voice of his mother **{7.1}** but chose not to answer, knowing it was simply how Khaji interfaced with him. He was with the others after all and responding to that prompt wasn't in his best interest. _"A Predator among the Blood Web is… rare. So few. So few. It is growing rapidly. Too fast. Too fast! Be friends with it. You humans like friends, yes? Dangerous. Pray we are never hunted by it."_ Khaji was never one to suggest _friendship_ of all things, and now it felt like his bug was initiating it out of self-preservation.

The closest it had come to this was when he'd met the Green Lantern at the Watchtower, urging Jaime to kill him before he killed them. **{7.2}** Or when he'd met Raven, Khaji had wanted to vaporize the entire area to "make sure they got it"; like _she_ was the insect. _This_ was… strange, like there was something lurking just under that toothed smile and those iridescent green eyes that sent a shiver down the Beetle's fused spine, and there was nothing it could do about it, despite the plethora of Reach weaponry at its disposal. And what did Khaji mean by "hunted"?

"_No hay nada de qué preocuparse_," Menos reassured. "Beast Boy _es un amigo_."

Maybe, but Jaime still couldn't shake the feeling as he watched the ship disappear.

"Come," Pantha beckoned. "We have our own homes to return to now that we are done."

At that, Beetle shook his head to rid himself of any lingering thoughts, replacing them with thoughts of getting to see _mama_ and _papa_ again. Still, something lingered in the back of his mind, some reawakened instinct tapping very softly at the back of his thoughts that was developing rapidly thanks to his tenant.

* * *

_Approaching 32000 feet above sea level, in the upper Troposphere, and still rising…_

"Beast Boy. Change into something else."

"_But your warm,_" he rasped, barely lifting his triangular shape head from where he curled up in her lap. A forked tongue flicked out as he shivered, instinctively curling a little tighter into a bundle. "_And what elssse would I turn into?_"

"Something warm-blooded for starters," Raven stated. It was colder at that elevation, and despite the air conditioning and heated seats – something Cyborg was immensely proud of – it didn't always mean that the cockpit was properly warm. She may have a higher acting metabolism, but the upper Tropospheric temperatures were still freezing outside the cockpit.

His tail flicked, causing it to rattle slightly. "_Fine. Any preferencccesss._"

"Cat," she stated without hesitation, turning to look at the unending blue sky in embarrassment as she realized just how quickly she'd replied.

She felt as he complied without hesitation, melting and reforming in her lap. He walked in a circle once, twice, before laying back down, leaning into her with a meowed "_mrraarr_". It was her turn to shiver as he began purring, the vibrations humming across her legs and into where he leaned into her stomach.

_'YES!'_ Happy cheered with a fist pump. Raven had to restrain herself before her pink-clad emotion could start gushing and squeezing the life out of the green tabby. She settled for the Happy median and began to stroke the top of his head between his triangle ears. He rolled his head into her hand, practically smiling in his feline form, savoring her pets with closed eyes.

It was because he was a warm little bundle heater that she could almost forget about the fact that they were restricted to such measures because of limited room. While normally embarrassing, it was nice to feel him so close. Tangibly touching him between her fingers was quick to constantly remind her that he was real. Even after having it confirmed so many times over the past couple days, it was as though she need a constant reminder that she wasn't imagining things. That it wasn't a dream. It was thoughts like these that prevented her from considering storing him with the rest of the cargo.

_'Nah,_' she rejected, especially now that she felt between five and ten degrees warmer.

A soft prickle caught her attention, forcing her to hide a smile when he rolled over to paw at her hand, his feline eyes dilated as he played with her fingers. He wrapped all four of his paws around her wrist, pulling it down to gnaw gently on her finger. Despite how careless it seemed he was being, she knew he had learned from the last time he'd accidentally drew blood her blood as a cat, being cautious as a result. Or maybe just the thought of drawing her blood in general made him cautious, especially since the last time resulted in the scar on her arm.

As if sensing her thoughts, he stopped wrestling with her hand, rolling over so he could sit on his haunches. "_You okay Rae?_" He butted his nose against her hand in worry.

"Yeah," she assured, continuing to pet him. True to his current nature, he pushed her hand away in disbelief, not so easily swayed if the look he was giving her was any indication. His defense didn't last long when she caught hold of his ear, pinching it between her fingers and rubbing softly. He shivered happily before succumbing to her powers of persuasion as he began rubbing his head into her stomach, purring once again. As soon as it started, it stopped, leaving the green cat reeling. "Now behave. We're in an enclosed space, and I don't want you accidentally hitting any buttons."

He blinked up at her in disbelief, unable to comprehend how she had successfully disarmed him. However, he slyly prepared his counterattack, still giving her a toothy cat grin with his long whiskers flicking. "_Admit it, you just like me for my body heat,_" he purred, rubbing his head and back along her hand.

Raven hoped she was keeping the blush from her cheeks under control. "Maybe."

His Cheshire grin widened before he liquidized again, his half-morphed form curling up closer to her before revealing a green red fox with its tail laid under his head. He shifted slightly, snuggling deeper into the core of her body heat as he pulled his tail closer to use as a pillow. "_There. Now we can both stay warm,_" he stated, giving her a single slit eye smile before closing his eyes. She thought he had fallen completely asleep when she heard him whisper, "_'Nite Rae._"

She rolled her eyes at him and his antics, especially since it was in the middle of the day, before looking down at the fluff ball in her lap. He was warm. Much warmer than he had been as a cat. His fur was softer too, silkier. But he was still tangibly present, right there with her. _'And we're going home,'_ she thought. She couldn't have imagined this just a couple months ago, and now… now it was real.

Her worries were muted for the moment. Powerful and openly life-altering worries to be sure, but they could wait for a little bit. Things like the silence Beast Boy seemed to inflict on her emotions, the dual-nature he exhibited, how he had changed the past four months, calling up her kids, making sure things were ready for them back at the Tower, checking in with Nightwing, telling Garfield about what had happened to them four months ago; that would all come later. She wanted the quiet of the moment for now, with what little time it could last.

Right now, she wanted to enjoy this feeling of warmth, even if a part of her felt afraid that in exchange for this momentary Happiness, something else would be taken from her. But then another part of her Hoped otherwise. Because some fundamental part of her knew she wouldn't lose anything else as long as _he_ was there with her.

"Good night… Gar," she whispered back, watching his ear flick slightly. He whined and groaned, snuggling closer to her before settling down again. She'd allow it.

Just this once.

_Mostly_ because he was soft and warm.

* * *

_The Conjoined Mindscape of Raven and Beast Boy…_

The autumn world had fallen silent for just a moment. A fraction of peaceful contentment that allowed the very fabric of the mind to harmonize in perfect synch. Subtle, and yet it marred everything with its blight.

The Fall colors grew more vibrant. Entire groves of birches, maples, and oaks growing more vivid than they already were. Streams and brooks ran with bubbling simplicity that sang its own unique melody. A kind of mystical clarity that bled into the mental world.

Even then, the world was changing. Or rather, expanding. With no one there to watch save for the ambiguity of the Astral Plane, it was all a sudden burst of creation. But had anyone been present to witness its birth, they would have seen the edges and limits of the mindscape suddenly fizzle like a fog, threads of thought forming solid measure. "Growing" would be the associative term. Like a bush, or flower, or tree. The world was "growing", as if it were a living thing, every thread of thought a fiber or sprig of Astral matter that continued to weave within the rest of creation.

From the forever autumn grew a lake, its cascades feeding into the brooks and streams of the forests and yet unexpanded surroundings. Its sandy dirt shores were misshapen along its borders, and in some places were pebbly beaches of smooth stones and rocks. It was large, stretching just wide enough for the eye to require focus to behold its opposing shores. For a lake, its waters were turbulent, swirling and pulling with all the power of a maelstrom and undertow.

And yet at its center, an island was formed by the unnatural spiral; earth, stone, and sand condensing rapidly into a misshapen land mass that the maelstrom struck at, creating smaller whirlpools that defied the flow of the lake as a whole. The shore consisted solely of weathered stone, and its inland the same from its compression. And from its core center, a perfect semi-sphere bowl was fashioned, left empty as if yet to be filled. Around its brim were etched runes that had long been lost to the concept of human imagination, creating a border for the trough. Living henges of weeping willows grew around it, their drooping branches acting as a curtain to block out the surrounding chaos.

The still atmosphere of the center was similar to that of a sensory deprivation tank, cut off from the outside swirling lake by the willow curtain, leaving the symbols and unfilled bowl in ambient silence.

Whatever the purpose of the structure, its creation and significance was yet unfulfilled and unknown.

…

Similarly, as the mindscape expanded, a flowing hieroglyphed oak stirred as its branches caught the wind, leaves flowing in an unnatural wave, but still hidden in the woodland of autumn. The carved and emblazoned ring that lead into the descending cave at its base remained guarded by totems of fearful detail and intent, warning trespassers of the promises of dangers within unto where its journey ended. Tendrils of electrical nerve-like roots buzzed and hummed from the entrance, giving off a faint song with every passing pulse.

Four-eyed ravens _caw_ed as they stood in the trees above, watching over their assigned charge so it wouldn't be lost again. The small magically constructed birds were sentinels, watchers, and trackers as they grew and multiplied in this mental world. Several dozen were subconsciously assigned to this landmark to guard and observe, giving the feeling that this tree might have been a hangman's tree at some point, or maybe some blood-laden landmark. Along with the totems, one might assume it had been a place of ritual sacrifice. Among the calm and beauty of the forever autumn, this small glade was equal in beauty, if only for the otherworldly atmosphere. Otherwise, it was haunting. Not quite the realm of earth, man, mind, or gods.

The nerve-like roots at the entrance buzzed loudly with their next pulse, charging the air with the smell and taste of ozone. Something inside jolted, the roots slithering outward further into the mental world, as if being hit with a growth spurt, now reaching just short of the totems.

The hum in the air grew more intense as the ambient white pulses faintly began to glow a differing color, until all that pulsed was red. The ravens above _craw_ed curiously, watching intently as the electrical pulses sounded less and less like live tesla coils, and more and more like the veins of a heartbeat.

* * *

_A few hours later, JCU Library, Jump City, California…_

Excitement. That's what she felt.

It was hard to explain it otherwise as Morgan picked up her purse and keys through the security metal detectors leading into Jump City University's massive college library. She rolled her eyes as the gate guards continued to paw through her backpack as another double checked her Student Identification. While she understood the security implications thanks to Jump being a small hotspot for super-human and villainous activity, it didn't mean it wasn't inconvenient. Oh well.

While she had prepared herself for it, she still sucked in a sharp breath when the guard roughly pulled out the carefully plastic wrapped centuries old tome from her bag, looking it over curiously.

"Hey! Oi! Easy!" she snapped, gently slapping the guard's hand. "This is worth more than five years of my salary! If you need to look it over, _I_ will page through it with you. There's liability on that if you damage it."

One of the guards at the security desk looked over suspicious. "How the hell did a student get a book that expensive?"

"Shrewd cunning and an ignorant seller," she retorted, holding her hand out impatiently toward the guard. He finally deemed it wise to relinquish her treasure, to which she eyed him over firmly. "This has thousands of years' worth of historic value, please be careful." Gently, very gently, she opened the plastic seal, reaching in and pulling out the white hide, metal-bound tome.

The guard watched her cautiously as he observed her care for the book. "And why would you bring it here?"

She nodded in understanding of his question as she peeled open the cover gently for them to see. "It's easier to bring the reference to the research material than to slowly check out a bunch of books to confirm my research," she stated. "This way, I have all the books I need to study it in one convenient location."

_'Not a lie,'_ she thought pointedly, even as she roamed through the book at the guard's behest. It wasn't like anyone save its writer could read it anyway, and even then, only a few gifted in the arcane would recognize a few of the seals and symbols. Thank God for the glamours she'd placed over it to make seem somewhat normal. Last thing she needed was for anyone to think she was in a cult. Since the guard saw nothing wrong or suspicious about it, he allowed her to return it to its "protective" cover undeterred. As if dust were an enemy to the centuries-old grimoire. _Pfft!_ The book alone was more dangerous than any microbe; and much more with its resident involved.

"Everything's clear," a guard stated, handing over her pack.

She gave a grateful smile as she shouldered her pack followed by her purse, saluting lazily. "Keep up the good work gentlemen." The redhead didn't wait around for an answer as she trudged into the library, able to appreciate the rows upon rows of books before her. To her left upon entering was the checkout counter, and to her right was a staircase and more social area comprised of encircled chairs and plenty of table spacing for those who were working on projects or essays together. There were even reservable rooms the size of small classrooms for the student groups that required the space and relative isolation to work.

Or just screwing around in general, since most of students there weren't there to study as evident by their "hanging out". Morgan silently thanked whoever it was that created the "No Food, No Drink" policy for libraries; probably someone from the long-lost Library of Alexandria, after some idiot spilled his wine no doubt. Not only to preserve the texts from careless spills and honest slobs, but to keep the sanctity of the library _quiet_. Libraries were for books and study. The last thing she'd want is for it to turn into bustling mini-metropolis because food was involved.

Ugh! So noisy.

Regardless, more important things were afoot. _'Where to start? Where to start?'_ she wondered, gazing around at the different sections. _'The social sciences? Physical Sciences? History? Philosophy? Psychology? Gah! So many to choose from!'_ And how was her new book pal supposed to read. He'd been vague about that part, only saying that it would be "enlightening".

"Hey Red! Is it true that you don't have a soul?" A chorus of grating laughter defiled the sanctity of Morgan's preciously pure thoughts.

Her tongue clicked over her teeth as she turned to see the last thing she wanted to. A clique. God forbid, a damnable high school clique in college. Three girls. Funny, she didn't even know these people.

_'Blonde hair with a 90's bob, blue eyes, immodest bust without a trace of silicon, dressed in a tight white tank top and a thigh-skirt. Couldn't put her phone down even to wipe her own ass,'_ she noted for one. _'I think I'll call you "Brittany"._

_'The girl riding her coattails: brunette with the same 90's bob, brown eyes. Otherwise near perfect copy of "Brittany". Definitely a "Trixie".'_

"Do I know you guys?" Morgan asked, eyeing the bubblegum that popped out of "Brittany's" mouth. _'Oh for fuck's sake! That's as stereotypical as it gets!'_

"Nah, but you're here, so let's have some fun," "Trixie" said in an overly peppy voice.

"Brittany" and "Trixie" looked her over with smug duck lips that just looked so… punchable. "She can't be that fun," Thing 3 dismissed, getting vocal approval from "Brittany" to begin the insults. The last and final female disgrace of the group was currently occupied.

_'Her hair is brown, but is currently dyed red, makes kissy faces into her compact makeup mirror, and is purposefully messing it to make it look wilder. Hello "Vicky"._

_'A blonde, a brunette, and an artificial redhead. If it isn't a holy frickin' trinity. _**{9}**

_'Tell me God, are you punishing me? Or is this the Devil's work?'_ She really didn't want an answer.

"Wow, never thought I'd see sorority stereotypes. And here I thought the world couldn't get any worse," Morgan commented, pulling on her backpack straps with an exasperated and disappointed look on her face. "Clearly, I was mistaken." Was it just her, or was her pack getting heavier?

"Easy now Red. We just want to talk," "Brittany" reassured unreassuringly, as if she were the one getting attacked.

"Riiight," Morgan snorted, already on the move again.

"So, like, how many souls have you eaten?" "Vicky" asked, still eyeing her mirror with more pouty lips.

"If you were a proper redhead, you wouldn't be asking," Morgan quipped back. _'~Just keep walking. Just keep walking. Just keep walking – walking – walking~'_

"And what's with that outfit? Are you trying to make fashion into a joke?" demanded the "Trixie".

Morgan looked down at her clothes. There was nothing wrong with them of course. Jeans and a blue-on-red plaid button up shirt with rolled sleeves. It could be better though. She had planned on wearing cargo pants. At least then, she'd have _pockets_. She looked back at the trio in confusion. "Why? Because my boobs and legs aren't exposed?" She turned her ankle, looking down at her jeans and sneakers. She had _maybe_ an inch of calf showing? "Eh! If it works, it works. Not everyone can pull off plaid."

A small pulse of tension in her hand alerted her that magic was being gathered in conjunction with her backpack getting heavier, however inconsequential the amount, and it wasn't from these… whatever they were supposed to be. Mean girl rejects? _'Not now Rorek.'_

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do," she dismissed, "leaving" for the umpteenth time.

"Where ya goin' Red? No one buys that modesty crap."

"All innocent looking on the outside, slut on the inside. Probably has more hand-holds than souls."

"Explains the mouth she's got."

Morgan's fingers were already subconsciously tracing the outline of a miniature enchanting circle, prepared to suspend and tell the laws of the nature to "fuck off" for a moment. All she had to do was input energy into it. Simple. Effective. And those bitches would roast alive!

_'So many random ways to die,'_ she thought gruesomely. _'So many supernatural horror movie series, so little time. ~Which one? Which. One?~ Maybe a combination of one or two?_ Wicked Scary _has a special place in my heart._'

_'Nonono Morgan,'_ she breathed carefully.

…

_'Not even as a joke?'_

_'NO! Deep breaths… NOW!'_ she ordered, having to follow her own train of thought as her eyes sparked between grey and silver. She had to physically enact crushing the circle she'd prepared to smash the temptation to finish it. _'Just need to figure out how to deal with Barbie's evil step-cousin's, thrice removed. Without killing, maiming, or disemboweling. No big deal,'_ she had to reassure herself.

"Oooh, "slut"? That's kinda cliché," Morgan winced at them with a shake to her head that sympathized with their limited vocabulary as they stood in front of her, trying to look down on her. If only they knew just what kind of creature they were riling up. "It's too bad your insults are about as clear as your… wait! Oh my God! Is that a pimple?!" She exclaimed, earning a round of "_Shhhhhhh!_" from other students.

"What?!" "Brittany" shrieked, snatching "Vicky's" mirror from her hand as she tried looking over her face.

Given the ambiguity of her statement, all three girls were grappling for the mirror, turning it into a three-way brawlfest with their feminine wiles on the line. _Pfft!_ As if! All that served was to annoy students actually doing work in the library.

By the time "Brittany" had made sure she was as wholesome and porcelain as a doll, she tossed the mirror for the other two to fight over, whipping around. She had the tongue and fangs of a viper at the ready to inject her venom, only to meet an empty floor. "W-Where did she go?"

Morgan sat with her back to a bookshelf, a couple other students giving her weird looks before rolling their eyes and continuing with their perusing. She had to slap a hand to her mouth to keep from answering aloud, but more importantly, closing her eyes to calm down. It would have been so easy to light up their dollish features. Too easy. And just for getting called a "slut"? Well, they'd also made jabs at her red hair. Still, not the point. Morgan blinked stiffly until she felt calm enough to think about what happened.

It only took her a moment for her to switch gears, this time to keep from busting up laughing. Tears formed in her eyes and her face turned as red as her hair, her freckles blending in as one fist beat softly into the floor.

_'Oh my God! Did you see their faces?!'_ she asked herself, holding back another round of laughter. Any more and her gut would be bursting. _'Okay… okay… calm down… breathe,'_ she ordered herself again, this time her spirit lifted… just a smidge. Then the image of their faces hit her mind again and a sputtered wheeze escaped before she could smack a hand over it. _'Oh my god, that was _priceless_.'_

She felt a stronger tension pulse through her hand, causing her to roll her eyes. "I'm coming, I'm coming," she exasperated softly, huffy chuckles still escaping as she reached into her bag to retrieve Rorek's grimoire. Once it was in hand, she felt a gentle, almost hesitant knock at the edge of her mind, asking permission to enter. So she answered.

_"Are you alright?"_ she heard softly in her head, as though someone was breathing a whisper right next to her. She stuck a pinky in her ear, trying to scratch at it now that it pricked at the sensation.

_'How to do this?'_ she wondered, not wanting to talk out loud like a crazy person. _'What am I talking about? I'm already crazy. Crazy for thinking that this was a good idea!'_

_"Um… hello? Is this thing on?"_ she projected mentally. _"First time telepathy. Testing one two. Testing. Hellooo-ooo!"_

_"Ah, there you are,"_ the book greeted. _"I don't mean to assume, but is it normal for your modern educational systems to employ prostitutes? If not, than I'm curious as to how such scandalously clad women can project such a slur on one of intellect, modesty, clealiness, and resourcefulness such as yourself. It seems… pardon my wording, _hypocritical_."_

Morgan started choking on air again as she coughed back her laughter. _'Riiight. Different time period. Locked in a book for a thousand years. He probably missed a couple conquests, revolutions, wars, and periods of enlightenment.'_

_"What happened to "self-taught curr"?" _Morgan asked, leaning back against the bookshelf once again.

_"Oh, you still are," _he admitted shamelessly. _"You lack grace, etiquette, or anything deemed "refined". And your flair for the dramatic is an annoyance._

_"But I thought I'd make note of some of your more redeeming qualities."_

_"Thanks,"_ she drawled sarcastically. _"But just because they're dressed like skanky hussies doesn't mean they're prostitutes."_ _'I can't say I didn't think it though,'_ she added silently, having to fight back a wolfish grin that quickly extinguished on its own. Unfortunately, now that she had stood out, chances were "Brittany", "Trixie", and "Vicky" weren't going to let her slink back to obscurity. The "college" aspect of her life just became twice as hard.

_"I see,"_ he answered, sounding unconvinced. Good. At least he was sharper than she gave him credit for, Wizard of the Third Order or not. A soft analytic wave emanating from his cover. _"So what did you have in mind for books? I can sense thousands."_

_"Let's start with History,"_ she thought, as she stood up. She edged her way to the aisle-ends, spying from around the bookshelves to see if the coast was clear. Seeing that the harpy threesome were out of sight, she began to sneak along. _"That way, you can get a feel for how fashion has changed."_

_"I'm afraid I can't feel much of anything save for when you drop me,"_ Rorek retorted.

_'Ha! Ladies and gentlemen, we have a comedian!'_ Morgan thought as she stepped out into the open. She quietly made her way over to the stairs, since the History section was on the second floor.

_"If I may ask, what sort of History will you be placing within my reach?"_ he asked apprehensively.

She couldn't help but smile. _"How about the world's History? And all its innovations and the evils that entails."_

_"At least you're honest,"_ he stated begrudgingly.

The History section of the library covered multiple aisles and bookshelves, easily taking up a grand space the size of a house. Unfortunately, it was also one of the least frequented places in the otherwise immaculate library, if the thin layer of dust was any indication.

"Alrighty," Morgan said out loud, glancing suspiciously from side to side before stepping into the center-most aisle. "Do your thingy-muh-bobber. Quickly please! I'd rather not be caught talking to a possessed inanimate object, like some stupid movie trope."

Another pulse rebounded from the book, before the inlaid worn metal circle on the cover began to glow a faint white. _"You may want to sit down for this."_

She was beginning to wonder why he projected that when the circle shone outward suddenly, dropping her to her butt anyway. Out of the glowing circle, a large white sphere of magic _Phh!_ed out like the a small explosion, enveloping the aisles and books in a bright white sphere.

"Oh shit!" she exclaimed. If that wasn't the biggest "HEY! I'M MESSING WITH STUFF BEYOND HUMAN COMPREHESION OVER HERE!", she didn't know what was. She watched as it harmlessly rolled over everything in its path, stopping at the ceiling as it reached beyond the History section. _'Oh God. What did I just do? This is exactly how things started in Empire City!'_ she thought pessimistically. All the books caught in the blast started glowing, hundreds of tendrils of text streaming from their spines as they began swirling into the cover circle like a whirlpool.

The sphere's expansion slowed down, before stopping all together. Then it imploded suddenly, disappearing back into the book. Morgan snapped back to focus as the normal library setting she'd just left moments before, returned. The only difference was the fire alarm going off.

"Shit!" She looked around quickly, making sure that no one was approaching before she snatched up the book and shoved it in her pack before bolting for the exit. _'Just treat it just like a villain or fire drill. Just treat it like a villain or fire drill, and _not_ like you just set off a magic wave inside a school building!'_ She took the stairs down at a measured pace, hoping that she didn't look suspicious. Other students were making their way toward the exits in slow procession, so she stepped in line with them, trying to calm herself down.

"Everyone! Remain calm! Exit the building in an orderly fashion!" one of the guards called, ushering people out through the security gate.

_"Yo! _Sir_ Rorek of Nol, tell we didn't just set off a panic for nothing,"_ she asked mentally, trying to look as bored as possible despite how hard her heart hammering against her ribs like a xylophone. _"Better yet, tell me that wasn't anything harmful!"_

It was silent. He was silent.

_"Heee-lloooo!"_ she called out, not appreciating how left in the dark she felt. Kind of ironic since she was just in a field of pure white not more than two minutes ago. _"Earth to Nol? Earth to Rorek?!"_

_"The Sun is the center."_

She blinked. _"Wait? What?"_

_"The Earth revolves the Sun,"_ the grimoire replied flatly, an undertone of disbelief in his voice. _"The Earth revolves around the Sun… not the opposite."_

A snort escaped Morgan's nose, causing some of the students to look at her weirdly. She shrunk slightly in embarrassment, gently waving them off. "Sorry, finally figured out a joke a friend told me," she dismissed, returning her attention forward. She had to hold back a sputter of relief.

_"Is there a problem with that?"_ she asked, inquiring silently.

_"That smug bastard was right,"_ Rorek continued, still sounding out of it.

_"Start talking. Now,"_ Morgan ordered, finally feeling the attentions of his voice on her.

_"Let's just say that I made a substantial bet several hundred years ago… I lost,"_ he answered, a new tone slipping in. Morgan recognized it as "defeat". _"Now I'll never get to see Barnabas collect it. Sly bastard was always telling the rest of us that there was no way that the celestial bodies revolved around the Earth. Turns out, he was right."_ Morgan couldn't recall hearing someone sound so… down. The context of his preserved soul was finally starting to sink in.

_'Oh,'_ she realized. Wizard stuck in his spellbook, immune to the effects of time. Ergo, everyone he'd known was now long passed. **{10}** No matter how often literature projected wielders of magic as borderline immortal beings, they still perished to time, no matter how powerful they were. Their lives were already prolonged as it was, and it took some _very_ special circumstances to prolong it even further.

Her shoulder jerked as someone pushed past her through the crowd, heading back toward the evacuating library. She was caught on a rather large glowing blue arm, still not quite paying attention. "Oh! Sorry little lady. Duty calls."

_'Wait a second. Glowing arm? Was that-?'_ She recognized that voice.

"Oh my God," someone called out, "is that Cyborg?!"

Morgan swung around, catching a glimpse of the half-robotic Titan trying to push his way through the crowd, met with further resistance now that he was recognized. "Excuse me! 'Scuse me! I really need to get through!"

_'It's one of the Titans!'_ Morgan thought excitedly, half reaching into her purse to look for a pen. _'I wonder if I can get his autograph.'_ She stopped when she realized what she was doing. _'Nope! No! He's heading for the library to check out _your_ magic explosion. Stop thinking like a fan!'_

_'As opposed to what? Thinking like a criminal?'_ she countered herself.

_'No autographs!'_ she snapped back, before resigning herself. _'Ugh! Fine!' _**{11}**

She sub-consciously tried making herself more inconspicuous as she exited the droning library behind her, hoping at every moment that no one would stop her. She had plenty of things to worry about now, especially since there likely wouldn't be a repeat of that again. It wasn't until she was sure that she was in the clear that she remembered her book buddy.

_"Hey, you gonna be okay?"_ she asked, unable to keep her face stoic as she pushed past her fellow students.

_"I… I need a moment,"_ he replied solemnly. _"I'm still… processing the centuries I've missed."_ Between the lines: "I want to be left alone".

_"Okay."_ She pulled her backpack tighter against her back and readjusted her purse when she felt him retreat from her mind. And for the moment, she felt sorry for him. The closest thing he had to a friend right now was just a college student who ran a coffee shop. Otherwise, he was alone, the last of the Old World. And even then, it was from the confines of a prison.

_'So much for a "Welcome back",'_ she thought sympathetically.

* * *

**Authors Note:** Hey guys, long time no read! This is the final installment of this "Arc", and thanks to my sister's input, I will be segmenting further chapters into actual "Arcs", so I can create a more accurate itinerary and organized workload, especially now that I'm doing a chapter estimate for the whole story. As such, at the end of every "Arc", I'll be taking some time to go back and edit the "Arc" before proceeding to the next one, similar to how I did things at the end of each story. The Arc's will not experience any _huge_ time-skips (certainly nothing like what happened between stories), but there will be some since my initial estimate for _Magicks That Bind_ will take more time realistically to establish and bolster those "Binds" I'm creating. Just think of this "Arc" as a sort of... "Prologue" for the rest of the story.

As it stands, I'm estimating up to about 30 or more chapters for this Story (I'm pretty sure I'm underselling, it might be closer to 40+ chapters, but don't quote me... not yet) due to the multiple perspectives I'll be establishing. Plus if I can keep it in a timely matter, all the better. Because of the familiarity of Jump City, I won't be spending much time establishing it like I've had to with other places.

**Featured Notes & Behind-the-Scenes:** (this is new, so let me know how this works out for you guys)

**{1}** This cut of the song is _Skillet_'s "Feel Invincible". I don't own this, obviously.

**{2}** I don't think I mentioned this in Sequence 2 when I first introduced Beast Boy's griffin form, but my main inspiration for the griffin was from _Witcher 3: Wild Hunt_. In the game, the concept of the griffin wasn't romanticized. It was a hybrid, so it reflected a sort of abominable nature that came from a creature like that, with its own sense of majestic and imposing power. Given that this was the closest approximation to an actual hybrid I could find on the subject, it served as the base for what became Beast Boy's griffin hybrid mix.

**{3}** Having had the opportunity to pet a wild or massive animal in person (not advisable under even controlled circumstances; tame or otherwise), I can't even begin to describe the encounter for those who haven't. This scene was my attempt to do so. There is nothing quite like feeling the heartbeat of something that large and powerful. I've heard there are different reactions from people, but the first thing I felt was absolutely terrified; I cried like a baby, and I'm not even ashamed to admit it. Awe only came after I was sure I wasn't going to die. It's intense to say the least. Seeing, feeling, hearing, smelling something that is radiates nothing but pure power is life altering. With proper respect, its a truly "glorious" feeling.

**{4}** In some forms of Buddhism (as usual, don't quote me), this is a sign of endearing closeness. It is also connecting the Third Eye or "Ajna" Chakra; a form of mutual understanding, relationship, and insight. From the similarities I've seen between some Buddhist and Azarathian traditions, it felt right to include this as a form of greeting or sign of endearment. Serves as a recognition of proximity. It can also be seen as an intimate gesture, especially among couples, so I'll let you guys think about that one. For animals, this is referred to as "Bunting". In most cases, this is a sign of territorial display or aggression, but big cats (like lions, *cough, cough* hybrid) use Bunting as a sign of greeting, especially out of familiarity and kinship. I'll let you guys put two and two together (hint: it equals seven)

**{5}** Raven is an "Empathetic Healer". Meaning she has to take on their pain in order for them to begin rapidly healing; so she has a above-average level of pain tolerance. Healing one broken bone (ergo: Robin in Season 2, Episode 11 "Fractured") would hurt like a bitch. Now imagine healing over two hundred while there in a _constant_ state of breaking. Just... Nope! This would also be new territory for Raven since she is now effectively connected to Beast Boy, so there's no telling if she would be able to regulate how much of it she took on. This would effectively force her to black out.

**{6}** Despite Raven's ability to feel emotions, Beast Boy has shown an above average ability to completely conceal, redirect, or block what emotions Raven receives. It wouldn't be a stretch to say he can do the same with pain. That being said, it may be possible for Raven to heal him without taking on an ounce of his pain simply because of his ability to repress it. Given the nature of his transformations, it wouldn't be remiss to say that he has an abnormally high pain tolerance as well.

**{7-7.2}** The "truce with nature" is inherent in all Scarabs. They won't willingly harm animals or plants unless they're threatened as such. This extends to beings connected to the Green and the Red. However, Scarabs show no such reservations toward humans or other sentient forms of life, and are more than willing to wipe them all out. It is also comic canon that Khaji Da interfaces with Jaime using his mother's voice. In addition, Green Lantern rings and Scarabs have a mutual hate for each other that is never explained in the comics. The Scarabs have an ingrained desire to kill Green Lanterns, while the Green Lantern rings similarly attempt to kill the host of a Scarab. No idea why.

**{8} **I don't actually know how one handles rare and "breakable" artifacts. This is just my assumption, but also, Morgan can't be that worried about a tome that's survived this long anyway.

**{9}** Yes, Morgan's life is going to be filled with tropes and stereotypes. What makes it funnier is that those stereotypes not only exist, they happen frequent enough for me to have reference material.

**{10}** This is something I don't think is shown very often when people are frozen in time. The knowledge that everyone you've ever known and loved have long since been dead. And when it does happen, it never really feels real enough. There isn't even a grave to visit because they don't even know where they're buried; especially graves from before the Middle Ages.

**{11}** When your a fan, but one of your resident heroes is dropping by to deal with your mess :(

Once again, this is a Rough Draft, so if there is anything that needs, or is connecting in a weird way for you guys, let me know and I'll try to clean up the text. I do accept grammar and spelling errors too. (*A copy and paste, but hey, some things are worth repeating for you fine folk*)

As always (and I'll just keep posting this because its true), keep posting your constructive criticisms, as they will help me know what to look for in my future writings, and for the days I decide to do a hard edit. A writer should never stop growing, and I have no intention of stopping now.

Please Read and Review, and Private Message if you're shy or prefer your inquiries to be... well, private. Please indulge my curiosity, and let me know what parts you liked, what parts need work, and overall what you guys think about it :D

So I'll be dealing with Arc 1's edits before proceeding.

Upcoming _Magicks That Bind_ \- Arc 2: "_Homecoming" _– Chapter 8: _ Not the Warmest Welcome_

**Synopsis: **Arc 2 Will be focusing mostly on Beast Boy's return and the number of changes that have and will implemented in and around the Tower, but also in public due to this, and other factors that have cropped up since he left. I'm hoping the next Arc will also cover things left hanging in Sequence 1 and 2, such as public opinion, police involvement, and basically some of the hero politics that we never see in stuff like this. There will of course, be more Morgan and "Rorek of Nol" as they deal with recent, and not so recent, occurrences.

There will also be a new and interesting arrangement at the Tower for after his return ;)

I'm also hoping to get to a chapter, starring Thanksgiving with the kids, so I'm looking forward to that.


	9. Chapter 8: The Welcome Could Be Warmer

Arc 2 – "Homecoming" – Chapter 8: The Welcome Could Be Warmer

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys, long time no read!

Getting back into the Teen Titan's now that I've had time. Energy is another matter, and my mind is no less divided than before, but something feels a little different. I don't know. I've felt... positive for the past couple weeks while I've been working on this. I know I wrote that I'd try to get to this out in a couple weeks, and I have no excuses save that feeling positive means that I'm enjoying re-experiencing a bunch of stuff. Like _"Shadow of_ _Mordor"_ and _"FFXV"_ and a bunch of Anime and stuff that I haven't looked at in forever. I'm... strangely physically and mentally exhausted... but I'm doing my best to counter it by being pumped.

_**Review Responses:**_

-Ragnaroll: Thank you. For some reason I was having a hard time finding the reasoning behind that.

-"Eris": (_Heheh!_) Spoilers. I guess you'll have to see if Rorek is Neutral, Evil, or otherwise. And way to add some Alignment reference in the review. Now I know what you've been enjoying ;)

-Mr. Ursine: I wish! That would be a wonderful escape. Now if only I didn't have these things called work, responsibilities, video games, books, Fanfi- Oooo! Scratch that last one. Even if 90% of my distractions come out of Fanfiction. I hear ya though. I've been waiting for so many stories to update, and its driving me nuts. So hard to sympathize with my fellow authors when I want to read their stories too.

\- dld51: That will still be a bit yet, but hold in there! I'm getting to it as fast as I can! :D

-Invictus Icarus: I guess you'll have to read down below to find out. Don't worry about the Dick jokes, I'm saving some specifically for your entertainment.

Oh? Theories? Theories you say?! Care to share your theories?

Can't wait to expand your liking of Miss Morgan Lassiter.

***End of Responses**

Disclaimer: You know the drill. If sorrow could kill.

**Read and Review if you have Questions, Comments, or Concerns (affectionately QCC)**

Without further ado. *Que the dimming of the lights*

* * *

Magicks that Bind: Arc 2 – "Homecoming"

Chapter 8: The Welcome Could Be Warmer

"_Snggggggggh-fooooooo. Snggggggggh-fooooooo_."

Raven stared at the green red fox in her lap, her eye twitching. Who knew foxes squeaked as they snored? Along with a series of yips, squeals, coos, chitters, clicks, and disgruntled moans. There were also some noises that vaguely resembled the sounds a baby would make. It was like the species itself wasn't content with one noise; it had to darn well make _all_ the sounds it could. And he had been doing so non-stop for _hours_.

"_Snggggggggh-mnnnnnnh_." He kicked a back paw, rolling over a little until his off-white belly was completely exposed. It smacked its chops and went right back to snoring.

"So _that's_ what the fox says," she quipped humorlessly, rolling her eyes.

She had already tried sleeping on the way back, but something about the stiff seat and its inability to lean back made that difficult during the long flight. Meditation was off the table too; she was far too distracted to meditate. Manually flying the T-Ship's wing was also off the table. The sky was monotonous, and with her current lap-warmer, she didn't want to fall asleep at the console; so she left the auto-pilot on. Read a book? She vaporized the only book she thought she'd be reading (see Chapter 1 for details) for the remainder of the next week; and she wasn't up for any more geese getting cooked.

And so, Raven's monotony was partially self-inflicted. She was… Azar forbid, she was bored. All her normal go-to's were temporarily out of her reach. While this was not a foreign concept to the sorceress, it was an unwelcome one that she would prefer was remedied fast. She pursed her lips in thought, staring down at her travel companion. Slowly, a smirk began to twitch at her lips. Maybe… just maybe, she could have some fun with this.

She began to draw her fingers across his belly, gently scratching through his soft fur. A shiver went through the small sized body, his paws flexing as they stretched out. "_Mmmmm_," he squeaked, before gently wrapping his legs and his tail around her forearm. He just kept sleeping.

_'Great. I'm a Huggable now. I swear to Azar, if he starts chewing on my hand….'_ So she just kept stroking his fur, drawing soft and content chittered purrs of contentment from his little maw. _'You're lucky you can turn into cute forms. You little shit.'_

_'A _super_ cute little shit!'_ Passion cooed. _'With a cute nose, and cute ears!'_

_'Nope. Just a shit,'_ Envy jabbed, before glancing inconspicuously. _'And _maybe_, sorta cute.'_

She perked slightly in realization. She was going to have to work on that. Once the kids were legally apart of the family, they'd all have to cut back drastically on the cussing. Family-friendly mouths _only_. "Great," she muttered sarcastically. "I have my work cut out for me." Especially since Gar had let loose more than a few 'F'-bombs over the past couple days. Maybe she could threaten to wash his mouth out with soap? Yeah. Much more doable and less trauma-inducing than sending him via portal to another dimension. Plus, she'd actually follow through with shoving some honey-lavender hand soap down his throat.

_'~Go to sleeeep, go to sleeeep, go to sleep li-ttle Bea-stie~'_ Happy sang, inheriting her creator's slightly scratchy voice and somewhat off-key tone despite the night and day difference in their expressions and pitch.

_'Aaand, even at my best vocalization, I still sound like a coyote in a trash compactor,'_ she sighed. So any form of singing was a no-go. Better to reiterate that now, than attempt it later down the road. She'd save herself the embarrassment.

A soft droning _beep_ing drew her attention to the console. They were about five minutes out, and just in time for an evening cup of tea. Azar be praised.

"Alright Gar, wake up," she ordered, gently shaking the bundle of fur. "We're almost there."

"_Mmmm?_" he whined, blinking groggily with a cramped stretch. He sniffed before looking her in the eye. Almost immediately, he sprouted a foxy grin (pun intended), propping himself up as best as he could for an animal without proper shoulder rotation, and giving her a half-lidded look that might have been sultry if she knew he hadn't just woken up. "_He-llo there! To what do I owe this pleasure?_"

"Don't make me hurt you," she stated passively. "We're a few minutes out from the Tower. Thought you'd like to be bright-eyed and bushy tailed when we arrive."

"_My tail is always bushy,_" he grinned back, before turning just a little more serious. Nervous even.

Raven just flicked the tuft of his tail. "Calm down," she ordered. "You feel like you're gonna bolt."

"_Can't I just fight another pack of Jag's?_" he asked pitifully, nose scrunching. "_Actually, upgrade them and make 'em Tigers. With lightning-breath. And laser horns. With a–_"

He almost collapsed in a heap when one of his ears was softly rubbed between Raven's fingers. That was the spot. That was the _spot_. A soft groan escaped between his lips, his eye twitching uncontrollably.

"Better?" she asked before ceasing her doting.

_'No! You left me unbalanced!'_ he thought, one ear now thoroughly satisfied, while the other… the other one was left abandoned and tweaking for attention. He'd rub his ear himself, but… it wasn't the same. He felt so disbalanced now. And one look at her face said she had no idea what dark and dastardly act she'd done to him.

"_Um… could you… finish?_" he asked, his little vulpine eyes going pitifully wide.

"Finish?"

"_You left my other ear out,_" he clarified, lifting and twitching said ear while lowering the other one. "_It's feeling lonely._"

_'Awww! Look at that face! Scratch the ear!'_ Of course, Happy was on board.

_'His ears have been rendered in a state of half-stimulation,'_ Knowledge mentioned informatively. _'Until the second one is scratched, it will probably continue to bother him.'_

_'There's something almost… hypnotizing about them,'_ Brave mentioned, eyes simultaneously wide and focused, like she had a mission in mind. _'I… I want to… play with them.'_

Raven just rolled her eyes. "You're fine." She wasn't sure if she was talking to the changeling or her emotions.

"_Humm!_" he harrumphed, giving his best puffy cheeked animal pout.

She just sighed, putting a hand to her cheek as she looked sideways at the window. _'Greeeat. Now I have four kids to worry about.'_

Down below, the buildings of Jump City stretched out. They hadn't changed at all in four months, save for some of the infrastructure and construction of some of the newer buildings being that much closer to completion. Some of those projects had been around since just after the _Teen_ Titans had defeated the Brotherhood of Evil. Since most of the super-villains had temporarily vacated during that period, with no one to destroy them, it had allowed the city to get a head-start with new buildings. Good times.

The ship's auto-pilot was swift to take them beyond the city skyline, and out across the bay, swooping in low until the water waked as it zoomed past. And there it was. That magnificent 'T'-shaped tower sitting on an island in the middle of the bay.

"_Hey, you guys change the side paneling?_" Beast Boy asked as he pressed his face to the window like a dog. "_I thought you couldn't. Cy and Rob kept complaining about unnecessary cost._"

"Vi– Cyborg did a small overhaul," Raven stated. As used as she was now to calling the machine man by his given name, she'd let each of them do the introductions. And _most_ of the explaining.

"_I can tell,_" he said, somewhat crossed between bitter and pouting still. "_At least he up 'n amped security. Especially after that last break-in. Even I might have a hard time breaking in. Or out. And is that a new power grid?_" He face-smooshed his fur even harder into the window, fogging up the glass. "_Cooool!_"

Right. Garfield had lived as a kid-thief for a little while. Between him and Cyborg, it was probably a close call as to who knew security systems (or how to mitigate them) better. "_If the Tower got an upgrade, I'll have to check out fixing up my room. After I hit my last growth spurt, the bunk bed was a little cramped. I probably need ta get a new one._"

"Oh really?" Raven said with a raised eyebrow. Same ol' Beast Boy…. Sorta.

The ship banked around the side of the island, reaching the side opposite of the city before it came to a hover. Just under it, dust blew away as the ground spiraled open, revealing an enormous docking hatch that lead under the island. And with that, the wing lowered below ground, and the hatch reclosed, sealing them in darkness and the consoles soft glow as they continued descending.

Guide lights flicked on, giving guide even though the hole was designed to fit the whole T-ship. A shiver drew Raven's attention as Beast Boy morphed, turning into a giant railroad-worm larva, shaking himself as soft red bioluminescent spots the size of nickels lit up the cockpit.

It only took a couple moments before they entered a large underground cavern. What had once been a remnant of Slade trying to sink the Tower with giant robotic laser worms, now looked like a sub-terranean Cape Canaveral. Everything from the T-ship's launch pad, to the automated command center, to said ship sitting off to the side, suspended by machinery that could reconfigure and substitute out any damage to the multi-faceted parts; whether for submersion, long-flights, or deep space. Cyborg had a lot of time on his hands in the last four months. Nothing as fancy as the Bat-Cave, but at least they weren't stuck in the "Dark Ages".

"_Duuuude,_" the beetle chittered, his bug-eyes glimmering with awe-struck wonder. "Okay_, what's up?!_" he demanded, sitting up on his segmented body and crossing multiple sets of legs. "_Where'd you guys get the money to pull all _this_ off? It looks like someone robbed NASA. Who's rich great-uncle died?_"

"You'll find out," Raven smirked.

"_I hate surprises, Rae,_" he stated, his mandibles quivering.

Raven just rolled her eyes as she pulled him closer so she could reach over the console, initiating the reconnecting sequence as they entered the ship's range. The wings folded down, and the cockpit rotated as it deftly and flawlessly reattached to the main fuselage.

"_Activate Interlocks! Dyno-therms, connected! Infra-cells, up! Mega-thrusters are go! Let's gooo, Voltron force!_"

Raven stared at the beetle in her lap, mouth half-open in confusion as the engine began slowing down, actively sagging the whole of the T-ship as gravity became the most prominent force acting on the reconverted wing. "…What?"

"_The better parts of my childhood in a nutshell,_" he stated with a buggy grin. "_Thundercats and TMNT didn't exactly have key lines that fit with the T-ship coming back together._"

Raven just blinked in resignation. A small, almost abysmal, part of her was regretting this. Then again, maybe it was a good thing he could focus on something good from his childhood. When weighing the pros and cons… as much as it irked her to admit it, she preferred having him back.

The cockpit slid open with a muted _shhhh!_, causing them both to blink now that the tinted windows weren't blocking the lights. Raven pulled her hood over her head, picking up the light-sensitive form of her companion as she gently jumped and glided to the concrete ground.

He immediately jumped out of her arms, shifting into a bear as he pulled out a yawn that pulled back his lips, curled his tongue, and seemed to elongate his jaw, stretching with an audible groan from both his mouth and his muscles. "_God, that smarts_._ Road trips are the worst._"

"If you say so," Raven commented, _chirp_ing the wing's trunk, deftly catching the contents that fell out with her powers, guiding it slowly to the ground.

"_Sweet!_" Beast Boy gruffed, lumbering over as he nosed through his stack of stuff. For such a large creature, he pawed through it easily enough before he dragged out a duffle bag. As soon as he did, he was looking at Raven pleadingly. "_Uh, c-could you turn around please._"

"Why?" she asked, annoyed.

"_To change. Duh! Can't exactly greet everyone naked– Well, I could, but that would be embarrassing. I'd rather not strut the goods _just_ yet._"

Raven just rolled her eyes as she turned around, huffing in annoyance. "Make it quick." Her ears unconsciously perked as sound of the duffle zipper opened, followed by soft rustling as Beast Boy shifted through his bag.

"Come on," he muttered, now his normal voice, unimpeded by the strange vocals his animal forms possessed. "…Where did I stash that? … Ah! Here we are!"

A strange heat settled on Raven's neck when she heard the rustling on him putting on his clothes, warmth gently creeping up through her cheeks.

_'Turn around Rae-Rae,'_ Passion tempted with a sultry whisper. _'You know you want to.'_ The purple clad emotion was flicked in the middle of the forehead.

_'No,'_ Temperance commanded sternly. _'There is no need to cause him or ourselves undue embarrassment.'_

_'Ugh! Is it too late to release him back into the wild?'_ Rude asked, absently drawing on a mental bolder she was laying on. _'We may never see bare gluts again if he's back.'_

_'But we'll have plenty of time to see his _bear _gluts,'_ Happy joked, smiling proudly for herself.

…

…

_'You're not funny,'_ Rage stated, crossing her arms.

_'Awwww! No fair!'_ Happy whined back. _'I worked hard on that!'_

_'It really wasn't funny,'_ Rude commented. _'Leave the jokes to Beastie, and we'll get along just fine.'_

Raven just let them go at it, ignoring the headache it was giving her as some of her emotions tried to justify getting _any_ kind of look at Beast Boy's… well… _anything_. He couldn't finish dressing fast enough in her opinion.

"There. All done." Raven let out a sigh of relief at how quickly her emotional spectrum shut up, turning around on impulse. She blinked.

"Wow. You look normal," she stated in surprise.

He grinned back at her, wiggling his eyebrows. ""Normal", huh?" He'd put on a pair of camo cargo shorts, complete with a white hoodie that sported a large red slash up the middle that split into a Y-shape that led into his long-sleeves. He'd even pulled his hair back into ponytail, letting only the shortest of his sides hang down and frame his face. The only thing not normal (outside the obvious) was his distinct lack of shoes. "Just figured I'd look my Sunday best."

Raven snorted, rolling her eyes, and already walking toward the Tower elevator. "Come on. I'd rather get reintroductions out of the way."

"Eh, fine by me," he stated, quickly falling into step beside her, looking pleased with himself.

They both stepped into the elevator without incident as Raven pushed a now glowing "C" for the "Commons". It was then that it grew uncomfortably quiet.

"What's the matter? Not worried are you?" Raven asked, noting his near one-eighty in attitude. Albeit, he actually looked a little relaxed. Certainly not as pent up as he was before.

He shrugged dismissively, putting his hands behind his head. "I got you here, so why would I be worried?"

_'That's oddly worded,'_ she thought, but dismissed it. And with that, the elevator doors closed.

* * *

_The Tower, Commons…_

"Huh. Well that was a twist."

"Indeed. It was most twisted!"

The hero now known as Nightwing sat with his arm draped around his girlfriend's shoulders as they sat on the living room sofa, staring at the television in thought, dressed down for the evening in more home appropriate attire.

"I didn't think that Natasha would cheat on Rick with Doctor Simmons," he stated with bemusement. "But that's kind of the point of the series I suppose… even if it's only the end of the first season."

"Nor that she would get the preggers by sleeping with him," Starfire stated, pouting in equal disappointment. "Although, I am beginning to notice a pattern."

"What's that?"

"Every time a new character is introduced, the main character of the episode they do the premiering in, is the one who sleeps with them," she stated, frowning. "Although, this Natasha has done the "sleeping around" more often then many of the other main characters."

Nightwing put his free hand to his chin, quickly analyzing over the episodes they'd seen so far. "Not wrong. There was Cory, Tim, Jeff…."

"…Tim the second, Kit, Sonny, Alan, Rick…," she continued for him.

"…Robert, Roberts unnamed brother, Tim the second again…."

"…Then she proceeded to sleep with her boss, Mister Wilkins?" Star asked for clarity.

"Yeah… then Tony, Cory again, Bob, Rick again…."

"…And now Doctor Simmons, who she is now the preggers by, though she is wrongfully insisting that it is Ricks," Star finished, frowning slightly. "I am not one to judge demonstrations of human mating rituals, but it would appear that this Natasha is a garden tool."

"A shovel?" Nightwing asked, wondering if this was some "digging" metaphor he wasn't getting. Star had mixed up shovels before.

"No. Thee hoe," she clarified.

"Ah," he said in understanding, chuckling a little bit. "Yeah. She kinda is, but then again, so is Trish, Tiff, Genessa, and Barbra. So is Jed, Bill, Cory, and Max."

"The male-garden-tools with abdominal muscles that are too large to be natural? Agreed. Why do they continue to produce these… operas of soap," she asked, glaring at the TV so hard, her eyes might burn a hole through it. Knowing her, she just might. "This "Highschool Never Ends" should have done the ending. _Señorita_ Dora's show is much the better. At least it is the educational and promotes audience involvement."

"Because people watch them," he explained. "People want the excitement of drama in someone else's life, but not their own. It's basically fictional gossip. And people love a little gossip… Or a lot."

"That is a terrible reason," Star concluded, shaking her head sadly. "It is truly thee "depressing"."

Nightwing just shrugged, not entirely sure of it himself. But he didn't miss out on the chance to gently pull her head to his shoulder, sending soft strokes of his fingers through her fiery hair to make her feel better. This elicited a strange purr-like sound from his fiancé's throat. "It is a terrible reason," he whispered softly into her ear.

"Agreed," she whispered back, leaning into his hand as he continued to massage his fingers into her scalp. After a few scant seconds, she released a soft, but long, exhale; her posture growing looser.

"Better?" he asked, kissing her softly on the temple, but not stopping his caresses.

"_Mmm_," she hummed pleasantly. "If you are going to be doing the massaging, perhaps we should do the moving to more private accommodations?"

He just raised an eyebrow. "Are you seducing me?"

She pouted slightly in response as she pulled away from him, giving him a soft glare. "It is you that is doing the "seducing". I am simply responding with an affirmative "yes" to your advances."

"Well, we _do_ have the Tower all to ourselves," he whispered suggestively, leaving that statement out in the open.

"You are purposefully trying to get friend Cyborg to do the complaining and the yelling," she stated, only to start purring a little more when his hands began to rub hard circles into each of her biceps, kneading gently, but firmly, down into her muscles. She couldn't help the general moan of appreciation that escaped. "P-perhaps, for a few minutes," she amended, turning around and pulling her hair around her shoulder.

Taking her words and silent gesture as acknowledgement, he began to work her shoulders and upper back, attempting to work with and around the back of her bright pink tank top that he oh so approved of for a number of reasons. That being admitted, let it never be said that Tamaranean's weren't tough, and that went double for their armor-like skin and stone-like muscles. While not invulnerable, they certainly could take as much as they dished. Trying to massage any muscle group of hers was an endurance test, but he liked to think of it like he was training in a task that may not make sense now, but it would later as it was applied in combat. Plus, he just did it because it made his fiancé happy, so what other reason did he need.

But speaking of training…

He found a particularly tough coil of muscle just between her shoulder blade and spine. He frowned intently, trying to see where the tension was promoted. "_Hmm_."

"I am feeling the intensity of your stare," she commented now that his hands had stopped. "Is something the matter?"

She shivered as his index and middle finger traced it before moving off course across the ridges of her spine, as if searching for something specific. As quickly as it started, it stopped, and his fingers lifted as they pointed precisely. Fortunately for some (and unfortunately for him) he needed direct contact. His other hand teased slightly at the hem of her top, even as he swallowed thickly. "M-m-may I?" Curious, but trusting, she nodded her consent. "Hold still, okay?"

She took in a deep breath through her nose as she felt more of her back become exposed, doing her best not to blush at whatever view her fiancé was getting. Then she began letting the breath slowly roll out through her as she attempted to hold sti–

_Ptth!_ "_Hup!_"

A quick jabbing into her between two vertebrae sent a jolt through her system as the last of her breath _Oof!_ed out, temporarily hazing her thoughts before everything cleared back up; like her brain needed to reboot. And just like that, the tension released from her shoulder muscles. She rolled her shoulders and neck as her boyfriend pulled her top back down, surprised when she felt completely loose and tension free. "That is… most marvelous!" she exclaimed, floating and turning around to look at her boyfriend. "Where did you learn such a thing?"

He smiled, sneaking a kiss to her top lip while she was openly gawking. "I picked up a thing or two," he answered mysteriously, trying to suppress a shiver. His master hadn't been even a quarter as gentle to him. Luckily for him, it had… _other_… applications, with results that were more than desirable.

"Is that so?" she questioned, sneakily draping her arms around his neck. "And how shall I ever repay your wonderous deed?"

"Well, since you insist Princess," he smirked back, already leaning in to capture her lips once again. They tasted sweet, and he quickly relaxed into it as she kissed him back. She was already gripping tightly at his shirt, as if she could pull him any closer. Even as she was pulling, she was pushing, causing him to stumble backwards before she crawled on top of him, pinning him down as she straddled him.

They broke for half a moment, breathing heavily; iridescent green eyes staring into dark blue. And then they reconnected as though they hadn't separated at all. His hands carefully brushed along her hips, subtly holding her steady as they continued to fight "the war of tongues". And slowly. _Very_ slowly. She "allowed" him to move his digits upward, slipping under her top until he had a hold of her waistline. Purposefully, his thumbs began to massage into her midriff, eliciting approving moans into his mouth.

He noticed his vision was blurring, so tried to offset breathing from his occupied mouth with an inhale through his nose. He was immediately met with the smell of raspberries, mustard, and something distinctly unearthly. And all it did was illicit a groan through their smacking lips. It didn't help that her hands were bunched up in his shirt and tracing his chest with a familiarity that might have bothered him if this had taken place years ago.

Now it was just… super _hot_.

"_Greep'va? U Tak?_" she whispered as she pulled away, her voice smoky and breathless as she pulled back, her wavy hair framing one side of her face, her green eyes encompassed so fully with love, longing, and hunger.

_'Oh? Oh. Oh!'_ he thought in gradually increasing realization, almost tangibly feeling as the blood-levels in his brain began to drop. If it wasn't hard to think before, it was now.

He gulped, doing his best not to look anywhere but her eyes considering the view her leaning down was potentially offering to give him… if he chose to look any lower. She didn't move, giving him as much time to process it as he needed. No goading. No rushing. She was giving him the reigns. She was trusting him with the decision. He was literally weaker than her in every sense of the word, and she was handing that power to him. It was a bit overwhelming.

"S-S-Star… are you sure?" he asked, gently letting his hands move to her thighs, gently running his thumb affectionately along the well-toned cord of definition. "We don't have to." And he was honest. He was perfectly content with simply making out and massaging. He appreciated both to an extreme degree as her boyfriend and now fiancé, and he knew that she did as well.

The low guttural she let loose told him that those were probably not the best words to offer as her pupils dilated a little wider in response. It was sometimes easy to forget that she was powerful alien warrior amidst her giddy and expressive personality. Tamaranean's _lived_ their emotions, and hers were so clear, they might as well be choreographed.

"Richard," she stated, the simple act of speaking his name causing him to shutter in anticipation. Her hands moved from his chest, pulled his hands away from her, slowly interlocking her fingers with his. She gently guided his hand to her lips, a single kiss sending a third-degree fire burning through his nerves. "Now we _do_."

_'Gulp!'_ his thoughts clarified.

Welp… there went his inhibitions amidst a spike of hormones.

_Whoosh!_ "Alright! That's enough of that!"

Or not.

"_Eeeeep!_" Starfire squealed, suddenly diving to her boyfriend's side while he looked up at the suddenly empty ceiling, blinking in confusion as he began to come down off the adrenaline. Then his brain finally got oxygen properly flowing again.

"Well crap." He slowly sat up, peering over the couch back to see an irritated Raven standing in the door rubbing her chakra and glaring right at him.

"What happened to those official rules _you_ made regarding yours and Starfire's relationship?" she hissed. It didn't help that she was right. "I believe you two were supposed to act at least somewhat cordial."

"We weren't doing anything," he defended weakly.

"_Riiight_," Raven drawled. "And I couldn't sense both of your emotions the moment they spiked."

Starfire's chin popped over the couch, looking innocently at her friend, completely devoid of any former hunger. "Friend Raven, you are back!"

"And earlier than expected," Nightwing noted, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Raven muttered, thinking of a hundred other places she'd rather be right now. "And good thing too. Someone has to keep you both accountable."

"Oh God! Is it over?! The smell was killing me!" someone gagged.

Both Titan's eyes widened in recognition as the ragged shape of their former teammate came into view. Many eyes blinked simultaneously.

"_Gaaaaaah!_" the changeling broke the silence with a shriek, pointing at the two lovers in horrified confusion. "Wha- What?! Where's Robin?! Why is Star about to send this guy to the moon?! And speaking of this guy, who the hell is he?!"

Richard Grayson instinctively slapped on his face mask to hide his "secret" identity. "I'm Nightwing," he declared darkly.

"Wha?! Who?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "That _is_ Robin."

"Robin?!"

"Well, Nightwing now," Nightwing countered.

"Nightwing?!"

"I get to call him Richard," Star added happily, including herself into the conversation.

"Richard?!"

"Cyborg calls him "Dick"," Raven added.

"Ha! You said dick! Wait! Dick?!"

Beast Boy's finger rapidly rotated between all of them in a merry-go-round of rapid-fire information that was causing his head to spin. He quickly called for timeout. "Okay, timeout! Slow down!"

Everyone froze in confusion, looking between each other with dawning realization. Well, for two of them anyway.

"Wait! Raven, you found Beast Boy?!" their leader exclaimed. "Why didn't you call ahead?!"

Raven tried to look uninterested as she flashed her hands passively from underneath her cloak. "Surprise," she muttered listlessly, immediately walking over to the kitchen to prepare a cup of tea. She was going to need every ounce of calm to get through the inevitable approaching conversation. "And don't change the subject."

Neither Nightwing, nor Starfire moved, staring at the entity that was their missing friend. Or what was assumed to be him. A lot… had changed. Not enough to leave him an absolute stranger, but enough to leave "What happened?" silently prompted.

"Sooo…?" Beast Boy drew out, looking increasingly uncomfortable as he shifted on his bare feet and did his best not to breathe. Their pheromones were still fresh, and he could either taste or smell them. Neither option was pleasant.

Raven just sighed, multi-tasking with her powers to fill up the kettle, turn on the stove, prep her mug, and overall, just make a damn cup of tea. Half the calming process was waiting on the tea. Evidently, she'd have to play mediator, so she'd have to get started before even steeping her drink. Maybe she should have started something stronger. She sniveled a frown, wishing she'd thought to start a pot of coffee.

_'Uhh, priorities,'_ she complained, already walking over to the dining table. "Alright. Table. Everyone. _Now_." There was no room for debate in her voice.

While the couple on the couch spent a moment straightening each other's hair and clothes, Beast Boy was already beelining for an empty seat; preferably away from his two… former? Current? … teammates. Lucky for him, darkness encompassed a chair and pulled it out, offering him a seat next to where she was sitting. He took it without another thought.

"How you doing?" she asked, looking at his paler visage.

He gave his best grimacing smile through watering eyes. "It smells like a bunch of rabbits had a free-for-all party and forgot to say when."

"That bad?" He only nodded in blaring discomfort. "Here," she stated, pulling up the small pouch she'd carried around her neck and slipping it free. "This has been helping me. It's mixed with a few herbs that should help. Just take a couple small inhales. That should do it."

He gently accepted the bag, doing as the doctor prescribed. _Snn–sn_–

He almost choked when his nose caught a myriad of scents. The entire thing smelled of her. Her sweat. Her drenched in completely natural rainforest rain. Her drenched in his pheromone tag. The lingering scent of coffee (the good kind, mind you). And especially of the herbal remedies that had gotten soaked and dripped between her– and down her–

He looked discreetly over at her uninterested gaze glaring at the other two Titans, before looking dead ahead as he began erecting his emergency mental walls so she could hear or see _ANY_ of his emotions, or how ever that worked. _'Tha– That's not fair,'_ he tensed inside, wrestling for control of his own stupid hormones and all the Beasts' that came with it. _'THAT'S! NOT! FAAAAAIR!'_

One act of kindness had just made this a whole lot worse, and now he was wishing he could go back to choking on the scent of Bird-Brain and She-Ra Warrior Princess failing to get it on. It would be kinder and less impactful than, say, Raven with so many alluring scents now being cataloged and filed away by his _'Stupid! Stupid brain! Bad!'_

Not soon enough, they were joined by the other two.

Beast Boy looked uneasily between the two of them as he accidently squeezed any remaining liquid in the bag out onto his pantleg in distress, doing his best to distract himself by noting their surprisingly chill clothes, something that hadn't been present when he'd been with the team. Robin had always insisted that they be prepared for any emergency; that meant being in their gear almost 24-7. It made it faster to answer their alerts if they weren't "wasting time" getting dressed.

Between the two of them, they were looking directly at him. Robi– Nighwing? Looked like his usual brooding self; undoubtedly analyzing and processing this development, and how it impacted the team. Star just looked… pensive. Her normally expressive features were strangely guarded as her eyes watched him like a hawk.

"So you're back." Surprisingly, it was Nightwing who broke the silence, letting out a sigh that showed a world of exhaustion. Considering where he had been going with his evening, not surprising. He continued with a humorless chuckle. "Figures Raven would be the one to find you. I guess you were in… South America?"

"_Heheh_." Beast Boy couldn't even give a proper response-chuckle. "Yeah. A couple million square miles of jungle lets you chillax just about anywhere." God, this wasn't super awkward at all.

Starfire frowned slightly at his response. "You have been the missing," she stated coldly. "Have you no better responses?" That settled like a lead weight.

_'Oh crap,'_ Rude voiced to Raven.

Beast Boy frowned back, his hormones completely forgotten as he met her stare head-on. "Like what? "I'm sorry?" "I won't do it again?" That seems a little cliché, and honestly, what do you want me to say?"

Her eyes burned green as she shot to her feet, hands smacking against the table. "You do not get to do the mocking!" she growled.

Robin 1.2 blinked in surprise. "Star?" He hadn't expected that from her, and it showed on his face. And Raven's.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy's hackles bristled, his neck jerking as his instincts flared. "I'm. Not. Mocking. Anything," he hissed, fighting back the impulse to morph or transform. It was taking all his self-control to remain in his seat now. Confrontation bred confrontation, and his new mentality was no exception. Dominance wasn't just mandatory. It was essential.

"You disappeared!" Star stated. "Friend Cyborg has done the filtering on the media of socials, to which you avoided! My husband-to-be has done the contacting of anyone and thee everyone, and no one has caught the scent! And friend Raven expended the magics that came close, but again, you did the slipping through her grasp!" Her eyes narrowed, like she was staring down a villain who had hurt her friends. "You have eluded us and those we have asked to do the "looking out" with seemingly little effort, and now you do the walking in with friend Raven as though nothing has changed! How is that not "the mocking"?"

"Star, that's enough," Raven stated, frowning at her outburst. Star was mad, and she couldn't fathom why.

"I will not!" she responded back. "Our home was destroyed! Richard has done thee self-blaming for Beast Boy's choices! Friend Cyborg has been in thee dumps that are down! And you have been less than happy as well! _He_ has invited the _Rekmas_, and if none of you will be the angry, than I will!"

"That's not fair," Raven countered, hardly believing that she was arguing with Starfire of all people. Then again, she'd practically tore apart part of the rainforest to deal futile vengeance. But blaming him alone for _Rekmas_ was too much. "Garfield blamed himself plenty. And you can't say he's solely at fault when there were other contributing factors. How was he supposed to stay if he didn't feel safe enough with us? The only reason he came back is because I asked him, and all but threatened him!" Great. Now she was getting worked up.

"And yet you have done the forgiving after he did the biting," Starfire pointed out. "So he should not have stayed gone for so long."

"It's not like he knew that," Raven shot back.

Nightwing just looked back and forth, almost afraid to speak as their two most powerful members seemed to be doing all the talking. That was fine. He was content just to listen, until he could find a moment to speak. He was only "normal" after all. Still, he looked over at his fellow male, and the wince that flickered across his face at the mention of biting Raven.

Yeah, there was _that_ too.

"She also nearly castrated me," Beast Boy mentioned off-handedly. "And blew me up. And tried strangling me. And then there was the stabbing. And destroyed the homes of tens, if not hundreds, of helpless animals to get at me."

The microwave suddenly exploded with a _BANG!_ as Raven turned away, face flushing red. "It wasn't _that_ bad."

He raised an eyebrow. "It was bad, Rae. There was even a monkey that was sent flying and–"

"That monkey had it coming!" she objected.

"So… you are not mad at friend Beast Boy?" Starfire asked in confusion as she watched their exchange. "But… you were greatly distressed when you found him, but could not do the finding again. You have been more withdrawn than has become normal."

Beast Boy's ears perked, staring at Raven intently with a pang of worry in his eyes.

"I'm still mad," Raven admitted with the most imperceptible uplift to the corners of her mouth. "But we sat down and talked for a bit over coffee." That was it. No further explanation offered. She didn't need one for herself; not when she understood him a little better.

"Well," Nightwing stated, pulling everyone's attention his way, "I'm glad things worked out." He took a deep breath, letting it all out at once. He didn't like this next part, but it had to be covered. "As things stand though, your return to the team _is_ pending."

He almost winced himself when the changeling looked apprehensive. It wasn't going to be easy, seeing as he and the changeling were still of differing mindsets; never mind the last time they had seen each other, he'd been a dick. "Pending what?"

"Pending medical evaluations, physical testing, and the like," he answered, before hardening his gaze a little. "And also following proper disciplinary action."

"Now wait just a secon–" Raven was quickly cut off.

"I understand what you want to say, and I _am_ sorry to you both," Nightwing stated, "but Beast Boy left the team without warning for an extended period of time that garnered no check-in's and didn't involve any missions." He turned a pointed look toward the changeling. "We had to hold off the media and the police during that time, as well as alert the Justice League that you were missing. And Raven took it upon herself to tell the Doom Patrol."

Beast Boy's eyes shot to Raven, his worry radiating tenfold unimpeded. "You didn't. Tell me you didn't."

"They would have figured it out soon enough," Raven stated. "It was better that they heard it from us than from the news."

"Nonono, I get that part," Beast Boy stated with a frown. "But the Doom Patrol isn't exactly known for being "understanding". They kind of just… bulldoze through everything that way. And if _you_ told them…."

"Miss Rita did the chewing out of friend Raven," Starfire confessed. "The rest just looked the sad."

Nightwing noticed the changeling's neck twitch again, his claws sliding gently over the table, and his eyes changing shape before they were brought back under control. The veins in his arm still writhed though, and his ears lay flat against his head. "She did, huh?"

Raven bumped Beast Boy's knee with her own under the table, trying to calm him down. He was practically broadcasting his displeasure. "She didn't say anything that a normal mother wouldn't have said in her position."

He didn't look convinced at all, but he appeared to let it slide for now given her dismissal, but as he looked back at Nightwing, he needed to change the subject quick. "You mentioned discipline?"

Dick paused, knowing that the last bit had been weighted. Still, they had to get this over with. "At the very least, you'll be questioned by Commissioner Stevens, and possibly bid for an interview. I'll let you decide which news station or talk show you would rather guest, but we'll need to corroborate stories to make sure that we keep it as fluid as possible."

"And why do we need to co-board-o-cate our stories?" Beast Boy asked suspiciously.

"Corroborate," Raven corrected under her breath.

"Thank you, Rae."

"Don't mention it."

"Because we've been telling everyone who's asked that you've been sick with something specific to you for the past four months," Nightwing answered seriously. Still, he raised an eyebrow between the two of them at how quickly they built off each other mid-conversation. "As far as the public knows, you've been in the Tower sick the whole time."

"We lied," Raven clarified when the changeling looked at her.

"Greaaat. So now that you guys got it wrapped, I gotta tie it with a pretty bow," Beast Boy stated with a frown.

Nightwing just smirked. "That _is_ why it's a punishment. That being said, I have some questions of my own. Most of _that_ night is still unaccounted for save for Raven's accounts, and half a camera recording."

"Is that all?" he asked, temporarily stealing Raven's deadpanned look.

"_That_ will be up to the team," Nightwing answered. "But there's still the _if_ you return to it. For that, we'll wait for Victor and make a decision as a team."

"Victor?" Beast Boy asked, cocking his head slightly.

"We did the exchanging of personal info," Starfire stated, looking more in thought than happy. "Including thee secret identities. "Victor" is Cyborg."

As they pondered this, Raven kettle began to whistle, causing a break in the conversation as she left the table. Even if she was in earshot, it still seemed pointless to continue until they were all together.

"So…," Nightwing began, fidgeting without meeting Beast Boy's eyes as he tried to find something less… hard to talk about. "…What did you do while you were gone?"

"Mastered the four elements, became the leader of my village, trained a dragon, got caught up in a submersed city's civil war, and became a biomechanical space wizard ninja."

"I'm being serious."

"I travelled, I saw the sights, I trained" Beast Boy answered with a shrug. "Nothing really exciting."

"You trained?" Nightwing asked with a disbelieving eyebrow. He could barely get him to train when he was at the Tower; now he was self-motivating himself to do it? How?!

"I got to see some of the results," Raven mentioned from the kitchenette, pouring the hot water into her mug. She quickly rejoined them, and they were once more batted in silence. "It was… surprising."

If it was awkward before, it was more so now. They didn't talk, but just sat there. Waiting. It was strange, but Garfield would have preferred at least one of them was yelling at him. At least it would have broken up the monotony of boredom that was threatening him. Instead they opted to just stare at him from across the table.

At least Raven was there. She may not know it, but her presence right then was worth the world to him. Dirty, rotten, evil hormones aside; that was weird… right?

"Sooo…" Raven drawled, not sure what she was expecting from this. Maybe a lot more vocalization. Maybe some actual _talking_. Silence was the last thing on her mind. She'd even expected Garfield to make comments about some of the stuff discussed or revealed, but it seemed he was content with observation. "… You guys gonna tell him the news?"

"News?" Garfield asked, looking back and forth between them expectantly now before a beaming smile broke out. "Oh shit! You guys pregnant?!" Something else exploded in the background as Raven facepalmed.

Starfire's face turned red in embarrassment while Nightwing had somehow found a new shade of pale. "No friend, we are not expecting children. Richard and I have committed to this thing friend Raven has called, thee "Abstinence", until we are wed. She said it was proper."

_'And also to save me from your hormone-induced _anything_,'_ Raven thought. But they didn't need to know that.

"If what I smelled was "abstinence", then I'd hate to be around when they have free reign," Beast Boy muttered quickly, just loud enough for Raven to hear.

_'Oh Azar!'_ she swore. He had a point. If that was them getting worked up, she'd have to leave the Tower anytime they… She shivered in regret to even beginning that train of thought.

"Wait? You guys are getting married?" Beast Boy asked, finally catching the last bit. He quickly smiled. "'Bout time! Looks like Rob finally grew a pair!"

Raven just smirked behind her mug, having said the same thing earlier. Nightwing's face turned red with restrained embarrassment and anger. _'How much did Raven tell him?'_ he wondered, also recognizing her words.

"Seriously though, congrats," he stated. "Lemme see the rings!" Starfire was quickly pulled from her displeasure at him, caught up in his enthusiasm like the riptide he was, quickly demonstrating her banded hand with giddy excitement. "Well shit. Star, if you ever get tired of him, send Rob my way. Those rocks look like they're worth a mountain."

"Yeahhhh, no thanks," Nightwing rejected quickly. "You're not my type." _'And it was worth a moon,'_ he added mentally as he thought about how expensive those Centauri Moon diamonds had been. Gotta love them alien currency exchange rates.

Star was quick to stand and drape her arms around her fiancé from behind, leaning down to kiss him sweetly on the cheek. "I'm afraid I shall just have to keep him, oddities and all."

"Ah shucks! Quit being so sweet. You're giving me cavities."

_'At least his excitement is real enough,'_ Raven thought, doing her best to keep from delving too deep into the changeling's reserves of happiness, even as it blanketed her warmly. It was a beautiful thing, even from an emotional distance. Not that she could completely block it off anyway.

"So when's the wedding?" he continued, interrupting Raven's train of thought.

"We haven't picked a date yet, but we're still looking through venue's, color scheme, and the like while trying to keep it low-key."

"Riiight, the media would be sharks at a chum-feed," Beast Boy conceded. "And Bolts-for-Brains?"

"Jump U," Nightwing responded. "He's looking to get a couple Masters and Doctorates."

"Really? You'd think they'd just hand him his diploma with all the hands-on experience he's getting," Beast Boy commented. "Tell me he's at least getting the Heroes Discount per credit. Full-time, on-call hero work plus school would be rough, dude."

"We'll find out soon enough."

The Common's doors hissed open, a deep yawn following the _clunk!_ of heavy footsteps attempting to be tiptoe. "Hello? Everyone better be decent, or I swear to God, I will put itching powder on the couches!"

"Speak of the Chrome," Nightwing muttered.

"You might need to do that anyway," Raven warned. "Dick and Kori were about ready to do the disturbing all over your couch just as I was getting back." Two of her friend's glares at her spelled "Tattle-Tale" while she smirked behind another sip of tea.

"NOOOO! NOOOO! GOD PLEASE, NO!" Cyborg shouted, zipping over to the couch as he ignored everything but his defiled couch. He quickly took bleach-water to the vinyl, half-muttering half-praying, "It'll clean right out. It'll clean right out. Please clean right out," as he began wiping down the couch like a madman. As soon as he was satisfied, he pulled the trigger of an air freshener can, spritzing it over the couch with calculated passes before watching as the mist finally settled. "Ahhh. Better."

The tin-man quickly dusted off his hands, clearly proud that he'd averted disaster. "Hey Rae," he finally greeted. "When'd you get back?"

"Just got back," she replied, half-wondering when he was going to notice–

"Dude. Take it easy with the bleach and California Sunset," Beast Boy coughed as he slapped a hand to his nose to block the scent of chemicals. "I swear, the cure is as bad as the disease." Not as torturous as the bag in his hand though.

The sound of a spray bottle and spray can _thunk_ed against the Tower floor, a single calf-brown eye widening in realization. "Grass-Stain?"

"Yo!" Beast Boy greeted back with a pearly grin. "What's up Chrome Dome? A little bird just told me that my best bud was goin' ta college. If you turn frat though, I'm crashing your pad for all the pizza. You didn't fill the freezer with baby backs while I was gone, did'ya? That would be as cold as cold cut can get."

A spark fizzled in Cyborg's robotic half as his circuit-brain's processing glitched for half a moment. In the next moment, his hands were gripping Beast Boy's shoulders, and his visage set in fury.

"Young man! Do you know how long you were gone?! Four months! Four! Months!" he shouted, shaking the changeling like a ragdoll. "What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"I'm… guilty?" he wondered, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"That's it wise-ass! You're grounded! Do you hear me?! GROUNDED! Up to, and including, a year!"

"You can't ground me!" he protested. "I am a "_grown-ass_" adult! Besides, what would you ground me from?!"

"Don't you talk back to me Green Bean! I don't care how old you think you are, you're grounded for the sake of being grounded! Besides, you're only _seventeen_!"

"_Almost_ eighteen! And in animal years, I'm frickin' ancient!"

"Don't know! Don't care! You had me worried sick!" As if to demonstrate his level of worry, he pulled the changeling into a headlock, cranking his "noogie settings" up to eleven.

"_Ow! Ow!_" the changeling yelped, trying to pull his head away as robotic appendages knuckled his noggin. "Du-uude!" Cyborg's hand slipped through Beast Boy's head like putty, causing the tin-man to shriek in horror, even as it stretched and reformed into an octopus around his hand. The tentacles shot out, snagging his arm and head. The green cephalopod pulled them together, forcing the half-robot to simultaneously punch himself and give himself a noogie. "_Quit hitting yourself. Quit hitting yourself. Quit– Gah!_"

Black energy enveloped Beast Boy, detaching him from Cyborg as he was lifted into the air and pulled toward the sorceress. "What happened to behaving?" she asked, tapping him between his enlarged eyes to ensure his attention.

"_He started it,_" he blubbed indifferently, crossing his tentacles.

"And I'm finishing it," she said with annoyance, turning to Cyborg, who now had ink-black round rings all over his head and arm from the changeling's suckers. "You hurt?"

Cyborg was also pouting, crossing his arms and pursing his lips. "Nothin' but my pride," he muttered.

"Good," she stated blankly. "Now sit." It was amazing how quickly things quieted down when Raven gave the order. "So where were you?"

Cyborg quickly slumped in the only available seat, still pouting as he periodically glanced at his best bud. "Jump University. Was checking to make sure that all my transcripts were good. Evidently one of the alarms at the school went off, so I checked it out."

"Which alarm?" Nightwing asked, immediately in "hero-mode".

"The "Attack" alarm," Cyborg answered, gently wiping off the ink on his body with a spare oil rag. "Fortunately, it was nothing serious from what I could tell. No bomb, no chemicals. No physical evidence of anything disturbed, though some of the students who stuck around swore they saw a bright white pulse. It didn't warrant much else."

"Fair enough," their leader consented. "Still, once we're done, I'd still like a mission report. If anything like that happens again…."

"…We need to know about it?" Cyborg answered, already presenting a small stack of stapled papers. "Already ahead of yuh."

Nightwing accepted the report quietly. He'd digitize and file it away later. Right now there was more important business. "Now that we're all here," he stated, not missing that everyone was glancing at Beast Boy, who had already sucker-crawled back over to his fallen clothes, shifting back slowly back into his human form so there were no… undue surprises. "Besides training and travelling, was there anything else you wanted to share with the group, Beast Boy?"

"You mean you already started the interrogation… _without me_?!" Cyborg exclaimed. He began crying half-robot crocodile tears. "I didn't even get to video it."

"There better not be an interrogation," Raven stated coldly, her glare sending shivers up everyone's backs.

Beast Boy just put a hand to his chin in thought, trying to see if there was anything that warranted anyone's attention in the past few months. Even if he wanted to share some of those things, the closest he'd let anyone get to it was because Raven already had an idea. And other stuff… he kept filed for this moment.

He reached into his pocket, tongue sticking out in concentration as he rummaged before producing and sliding a flash-drive toward the center of the table. "Everything you guys need to know. I catalogued as much of the past four months as I could, but most of it is over the last two. I figured you guys would like to know the majority of what I've been up to. _That's_ it," he stated, gesturing to the drive.

Cyborg was the first to reach for it, holding it up to the light as though he was looking over a gem. "How much data we talkin' here?" he asked curiously, wondering how two months of data was supposed to clarify anything.

"Well, once I got passed the initial phases, I'd say something like… oh, three or four terabytes. And that's while the files are under max data compression. I reckon there's closer to a few hundred."

The guys choked on air while the girls looked between them in confusion; one because she didn't know computers, and the other because she didn't understand earthling terms of digital data measurement.

"Hundreds of terabytes, B? Hundreds?"

"It's in 4K HD," Beast Boy admitted, "but there's still eighty-plus hours of footage. All of it is organized by date."

"In Wide-Screen?" Cy asked.

The changeling just smiled. "You know it."

"In 3D?"

The changeling just deadpanned. "Dude? Really?"

"Daaaaamn," Cyborg whispered, already packing it into his arm as he looked to Nightwing. "I can begin analyzing and uploading as soon as we're done here. I should be able to sift through it and get you a summary copy by tomorrow."

"Please do," Nightwing affirmed, glad to see that Cyborg was already on it. He had to keep from impulsively clasping his hands together and resting his chin on them. His deep-thought pose was all too recognizable. He wanted to keep as much of his thoughts as possible to himself. But Beast Boy had possessed the forethought to record and log his own work. It was forward thinking, and it showed that he'd have to take reinstating him seriously.

Speaking of which…

"And on that note, I'm opening up for discussion any reprimands the team would like to present for Beast Boy in the event of him passing his reinstatement test."

"There's a reinstatement _test_?!" Beast Boy exclaimed, doing his best not to rip out his hair.

"There's punishment?" Raven glared. Meanwhile, Passion was smirking naughtily.

Cyborg grinned, silently rubbing his hands together slyly. "Rules is rules, Cabbage Head. You guys did it to me after the H.I.V.E."

Starfire frowned in thought. "Are there the limitations?"

Raven and Beast Boy blinked at that. _'Why are you asking _that_?!'_

"No physical harm, no psychological torture? Why?" Nightwing asked, clearly wondering the exact same thing.

"Very well." She nodded, moving to stand and gentle clearing her throat. "Friend Beast Boy, your absence has caused great strife and unnecessary harm to our friends' feelings. Under the circumstances that are normal, I would bequeath a punishment on each of our friends and their grievances behalf. But seeing as friend Raven has done the forgiving, and both friend Cyborg and fiancé Richard appear to have theirs in "the bag" that is evidently not an actual bag, I shall operate with my own punishment in mind."

_'Oh great, it could have been worse,'_ the changeling sighed inwardly.

"Hence forth, for every day you have been the missing, I shall make a bowl of the Pudding of Sadness for your consumption. That way, you may experience a fraction of the sadness we have felt at your absence."

Everyone blinked in shock, and some in horror. The sheer collective of "_Oh Fuck!_" written on everyone's face was a blatant testament to the seriousness of Star's prescribed punishment. _'Oh great, it's worse,'_ Garfield mumbled to himself.

But wait! There was more! "You must eat at least one bowl a day, but you may do the eating of more at your leisure if you wish to reduce your sentence. I shall be most pleased to do the making of more. At my count there are in the one-hundred and twenties of bowls for you to consume. That is sufficient, yes?" For once, Beast Boy was sure that the smile on her face was as cold as Mister Freezes cold heists… or one of those Circles of Hell Raven had always threatened him with. "If it is not sufficient, I'm sure I can add more until it is."

Oh. So it was one of _those_ punishments. Either take it as is, or the punishment gets worse.

Garfield gulped. "That… sounds… good, Star," he hesitated in fear. "Really good. Fair even."

"Excellent." Oh yeah, he was shivering. Why did Raven seem like the sunny disposition right now?

"Well shit. I can't beat that," Cyborg stated, letting out a defeated sigh. He hadn't really planned a punishment. Especially since he knew what was coming up for him was going to be worse. "Worst case scenario, I'm gonna have to check your physicals anyway. Make sure everything is up to snuff, and your info's updated. A mandatory check-up is about as torturous as I can make it."

_'Of course, I probably won't know everything,'_ the half-robot thought dejectedly. Raven's "only because it's necessary" confession four months ago ensured that. He still didn't understand half the logistics of the spell she'd used. Only the base, and the effect.

It didn't sound like a punishment, and in reality, it probably wasn't, and he was eternally grateful. Beast Boy only knew what he saw. And that was the knowing look that passed between Cyborg and Raven. Robi– Nightwing and Starfire didn't appear to notice. But his two besties? They looked like they were trying to keep a secret.

"Raven?" Nightwing asked, "what about you?"

Raven just shook her head in response. "It's fine. He's already been punished enough."

Add that to the weirdness. The softest tone dejection met Garfield's ears, causing them to home in instantly. _'What did she mean by that?'_ Again, he noticed the looks that Raven and Cyborg shared, a few hairs of suspicion raising on the back of his neck.

One thing at a time though.

"Wait. If I still have to take a test, why are you letting me know the punishments before I'm even officially back?" Beast Boy asked in confusion.

Nightwing smiled, nodding in acknowledgement of his question. "Because, that's part of my punishment. Knowing what you lose, even if you win. So Beast Boy, you know what will happen if you pass your test. Is it worth it to come back into the fold?"

_'Mother-flubber!'_ the changeling internally screamed. _'That's Mind-Games 101 you dirty rotten, brooding, gel-haired, son of a–'_ He had to hold back a flinch when he felt Raven's knee bump his own once again as she felt his tensions rise. Somehow, that calmed him down, like a buzz of warm water splashing over his head. How did she–? Riiight! Empath. One of the reasons he had to keep his shit together and under control.

Instead of voicing the anger he felt slithering through his veins, he dammed it up, preparing to channel it into whatever this "test" was. "Don't you worry your pretty gelled hair," he stated with a half-grin, half-grit of his teeth. "I'll own your "punishments", even if I have to make tacos out of Star's cooking."

Starfire's eye twitched at the comment about her culinary skills, and she looked at Nightwing, silently wondering if there was anything wrong with her cooking.

Nightwing got that particular look in his masked eye, like he was being challenged. But in a good way. Sorta. Only this time, it was Beast Boy doing the challenging. Plus, that little green shit had pointed Starfire's questioning glance in his direction. Not cool. Definitely not cool. "Good. Then we can begin immediately."

"Now wait just a mo–," Raven started.

"Dude, you are. _So_. On," Beast Boy enunciated. It was no different than when they had challenged each other over video games… pending Beast Boy's reinstatement as a Titan of course.

"Hold it!" Raven snapped causing the kitchen sink to rumble in protest as her powers flickered, not appreciating her being interrupted. "We just spent the last several hours flying! This can wait until tomorrow."

Both challengers blinked at her blankly, before looking at each other and blinking. Small snorts escaped both of their noses, causing Raven's glare to harden. "What's so funny?"

"Rae, "The Bro Code" dictates that we settle this here and now," Beast Boy explained with a grin. "Let no pent-up anger remain between dudes. When push comes to shove… fisticuffs. Better to settle it sooner rather than later."

"Not wrong," Cyborg provided with a deep and contemplative nod.

Nightwing just smiled harder, bordering on a grimace. "Reinstatement is as follows: One round of sparring. No bars held save for the norm."

Beast Boy's smile fell into a frown really quickly. "No powers? No equipment?" he clarified.

"Skill on skill, as God and gods intended," Nightwing stated, barely catching the nod of approval from Starfire. "The round lasts until one of us is incapacitated, rendered unconscious, or surrenders." Their leader's eyes narrowed seriously. "You said you've been training. I want to see exactly what you're capable of. If you meet my standards, you're welcome back. If not…." That which was left unsaid didn't need to be said. "_That's_ what's at stake Beast Boy."

Raven watched in partial disbelief as this took place in front of her. It was an ultimatum. A really terrible ultimatum. Damned if he did. Damned if he didn't. She didn't have to look at Garfield to know he was nervous. In all their previous spares, the then Robin hadn't pulled any punches; and he'd only gotten stronger since then. But then again, so had Beast Boy. So despite his nervousness, she could feel his determination. And something else… flickering across his emotional spectrum. Something like possessiveness, but… _not_.

"I told you dude. _You're_. _On_," he whispered, the intensity of each word not allowing him to speak any louder.

"Then follow me," Nightwing stated with an approving smile, already standing from his seat.

_'What do we do Rae?'_ Knowledge asked, trying to work with and around what was happening.

_'We watch, and wait,'_ she answered, not entirely sure how this was going to end.

* * *

**XTRA Special Authors Note:** BB is back with the gang guys! Thank you one and all for your patience, and especially those of you who have been with me since the beginning. You've been troopers, and I can't thank you enough for your PM's, Reviews, and encouragements as I struggled to keep up with this. It means a lot to be able to finally put _this_ chapter out for you guys. So I'm giving you all a round of applause! XD

**Don't forget to Read & Review! :)**

While I did plan something a lot more dramatic, it would have felt forced in my opinion. The Titans, despite their quirks, are a lot more cohesive after five years of working together; even with Beast Boy disappearing for 4 months. They've matured... sorta.

Nightwing/Robin is of course, still the leader; and while he may feel bad about how he treated Beast Boy, he's attempting to be fair while also trying to show how disappointed and disapproving he is of his actions (let's face it, he's still kinda bad at this whole thing non-professional part of the job). But be as that may, he still wants Beast Boy to prove that he still wants to be part of the team, and is willing to make him fight for it. His punishments are a delegated responsibility that the team has upheld, and now he's wanting Beast Boy to finish it off. Can't really blame him for that after all the press dodging they've been doing.

I was confident that of the whole group, Starfire would be the one to take it the hardest next to Raven. From what I remember of the series, her goal in the group is to keep the team happy, and if something throws that off, and she can't fix it, of course she's going to be a bit miffed. Add on that she has spent months watching her teammates fret over his disappearance, I felt she would be the most confrontational (following Raven attempting to do some serious physical harm of course) about it. She's literally been sitting there, unable to do anything about it. Also, I did make reference near the end of Sequence 2 about punishments, and I felt, of all the things she could throw at Beast Boy, the Pudding of Sadness would be the worst of it.

Cyborg was the least shown in this chapter, but his reaction I think was spot on. He's the big brother of the group, and being so close to B was basically a guarantee for some over-reacting, attempted noogies, and "stop hitting yourself" banter that I think would have been common between them. The seriousness isn't deflected. That's just how some people show how worried they are. Or more specifically, how relieved they are.

I'll leave most of the other developments up to you guys to bring up, since I'm sure most of you will have questions. ;) ;) ;) If not, that's fine.

I am still trying to keep this a T-rated story, but I've found that the more I write, the more mature my outlook on life, and my writing becomes. I'm not trying to deviate from more friendly interactions, but I am trying to keep them realistic all the same. The Titans are now basically adults, in a basically adult world. Sorry in advance if things start deviating again... or if I have to change the rating! I'll check the terms and conditions ahead of time to make sure before I do though.

Got some feedback for the Behind-the-Scenes stuff, and I got only a single, constructively negative synopsis as to why it wasn't the greatest idea. And I gotta say... it was fair. So I will be discontinuing it before it takes off. Still gonna do my little after the story rants though :D

I have noticed that I've been far too constrained on my word limit (around 10k), so I've had to reestablish a realistic limit to help give me some leeway (8k to 13k words) in the hopes it will help me not try to draw out some chapters, or condense others. The content and fun can be lost in either scenario, so I will be trying to work on that.

**Other Super Big** **News!** I may have found picture to use as the cover for Sequence 3 (even if it is a bit of a Spoiler)! Will let you guys know hopefully sooner rather than later! Just need to see about getting artist permissions and stuff.

**_Tamaranian Translations (Original Translation)_: **(Yay! Translations are back!)

_Greep'va? U Tak?_ \- quiet literally: "My den? Or yours?"; basically, she _is_ seducing him.

***End of Translations**

Once again, this is a Rough Draft, so if there is anything that needs, or is connecting in a weird way for you guys, let me know and I'll try to clean up the text. I do accept grammar and spelling errors too. (*A copy and paste, but hey, some things are worth repeating for you fine folk*)

As always (and I'll just keep posting this because its true), keep posting your constructive criticisms, as they will help me know what to look for in my future writings, and for the days I decide to do a hard edit. A writer should never stop growing, and I have no intention of stopping now.

Please Read and Review, and Private Message if you're shy or prefer your inquiries to be... well, private. Please indulge my curiosity, and let me know what parts you liked, what parts need work, and overall what you guys think about it :D

Upcoming _Magicks That Bind_ \- Arc 2: "_Homecoming" _– Chapter 9: _The Art of __Imitation _(I think this is gonna be the chapter title. No guarantees yet)

There will also be a new and interesting arrangement at the Tower for after his return ;) Still doing this.

I'm also hoping to get to a chapter, starring Thanksgiving with the kids, so I'm looking forward to that. Still wanna do this.


	10. Chapter 9: The Art of Imitation

Arc 2 – "Homecoming" – Chapter 9: The Art of Imitation

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys, long time no read!

I didn't disappear as long this time! Yay!

But on that note, I have some bad news. I have less than a month to find a new place to live. My roommate is moving, and I can't pay the rent otherwise, so I'll be focusing on... _shiver_... "adulting" for a while. I'll work on what I can in the meanwhile. There's a lot more going on, but that's the main one that'll occupy my time.

_**Review Responses:**_

\- LordChico: Yeah. I really missed writing about the whole team. Somethings won't change, but somethings... will.

\- nw150: _Eh-heh-heh!_

\- TheAlienHeart: I was gonna reference that, but then realized I'd be writing a full-blown fight a chapter early. While a good point, Starfire's anger isn't directly her own, but rather, on behalf of her team's. Her dynamic on the team has been of little help to anyone, and at best, the only person she's been able to offer comfort to during this time has been Robin/Nightwing. And it wouldn't be remiss to say that her anger may actually stem from her own leaving, with plenty of blame on both sides. History has repeated itself, albeit, with plenty of differences; but it still reoccurred. I'd say she, more than most, understands.

I see where you're coming from, but I'd say that Beast Boy's _main_ judge was more or less openly trying to blow him up and maim him into submission, and he openly admitted that he was scared of going back.

Long time no read! Hope ta read ya next time :D

\- "derekctomlinson": I think you're overestimating my ability to write Limes and Lemons

\- Invictus Icarus: Thanks. I missed writing the team as a whole, or how they built off each other from moment to moment. I didn't even think about the table honestly. The microwave was blown up though.

The reason I went with Terabytes is because standard video measurement is already huge. Add in 4k HD Widescreen capability, and two months of Beast Boy training; equaling up to between 1-4 hours per day. That would be a massive amount of data. Hence the data compression. It's a feature that prevents you from opening anything on the drive until it's been decompressed onto a large enough drive.

Will do! Hope to read ya soon! :D

\- xmanxman2005: Thanks! It is what it is. To each reader their own. I'm just happy to have made it this far

\- dld51: That will still be a bit yet, but hold in there! I'm getting to it as fast as I can! :D

\- "Bob the Bobber": That's actually standard fair. People tend to operate with the information they have, and are given. Do they understand what Beast Boy felt? Hard no. How could they understand? That being said, they do care in their own ways; but that care expresses itself differently between each person they connect with based on their own experiences. It's a lovely little tid-bit of hidden psychology.

Pretty close on the references. The last two were Bioshock and Warframe ;)

***End of Responses**

Disclaimer: Ah! I see you've found this disclaimer. Then you know what goes here, don't you?

**Read and Review if you have Questions, Comments, or Concerns (affectionately QCC)**

Without further ado. *Que the dimming of the lights*

* * *

Magicks that Bind: Arc 2 – "Homecoming"

Chapter 9: The Art of Imitation

"So… the gym?" Beast Boy stated, looking at said gym with a mix of apprehension and curiosity. Nothing had really changed. All the treadmills, massive weights, and even a couple _Mu Ren Zhuang_ were designed closer to the walls, leaving the center largely empty save for the massive training mat and a couple gym benches.

"Yep, the gym," Nightwing stated, already walking toward the locker rooms just off to the side. "You're free to freshen up, prepare, change, or whatever. Meet back in ten." And with that, Dark and Brooding Junior went to do whatever he was going to do to prepare.

The others stood off to the sides, setting up cushions on the benches and… was that popcorn? Looks like they were getting ready for a show. _'Greaaat. I've got my own audience,'_ he thought sarcastically.

"You gonna change into something else, Grass Stain?" Cyborg asked as he finished pulling up his "Big-Boy" cushion – complete with rump and back massage of course – looking at his buddy curiously. He absently tossed an XXX-L bag of popcorn into on of his arm compartments, closing it and pressing a button.

Beast Boy's ears drooped as he looked both embarrassed and apprehensive, his fingers poking together. He let loose a string of mumbles.

"Louder," Cyborg commanded over the soft _hum_ of electricity and radiation goodness _pop!_ping the pop.

"None of my old uniforms will fit," the changeling relented. "And I didn't really have much in the way of regular clothes."

"How do you have such knowledge if you have only been back today?" Starfire wondered aloud, even as she fished out and retrieved a much too large bowl for the popcorn, even by human standards.

He sighed, knowing this was going to come out sooner or later. He gingerly crossed his hands under the hem of his hoodie before lifting up and over. Starfire's eyes widened, one of Cyborg's eyes bugged while the glowing one suddenly shut down, and Raven averted her eyes, her cheeks now dusted with red.

_Aaand_ there went three-quarters of Raven's emoticlones. Fainted from rocketing nosebleeds courtesy of unintentional surprise attack.

Now that he was bare-torsoed, he turned around, giving them a solid look at his toned, lithe body. While not bulky by any means, he had put on plenty of definition. "Now tell me that this bod is gonna fit in those skinny-ass uniforms. Plus, I'm an inch or so taller. I don't need people staring at my ankles, or walking bow-legged with it ridding up my crotch."

"Believe me friend, your "ass" is anything but the skinny," Starfire said in compliment. Of course she'd say that. Tamaraneans basically invented sunbathing and had no shame in the complimenting of other persons bodies. "And I do not think it will be your ankles that they stare at."

"Daaaamn B," Cyborg commented. "You _did_ work out?"

Raven recomposed herself before turning to glare at him. "Put your shirt back on."

_'__Nope! Take! It! Off!'_ Passion cheered weakly as she blissfully bled out.

_'__Wish I could get this view in private!'_ Envy growled angrily, trying and failing to stem her own bloody nose. _'I need a stack of One's or something!'_

_'__Star's right,'_ Hope stated intently, looking at places other than his body. _'They'll be staring at his eyes. They're just so… so green.'_ She giggled as she flipped over in the air to kick her feet.

_'__It's not his "eyes" we're worried about people staring at,'_ Rage stated from under a facepalm.

"And work up a sweat in my favorite hoodie? Yyyeah– no thanks, Rae." He carefully bent over to make sure his cargo shorts pockets were empty, before doing half-squats to make sure he'd still have full range of motion in his attire. "Not like you haven't seen me shirtless anyway."

Cyborg and Starfire whipped around toward Raven, who was suddenly _very_ busy reigning in any desire to throw him through the wall. "Friend Raven, is this true?" "What were you two doing?!"

"I lived in the jungle, guys," Beast Boy interjected. "At best, I only had a pair of pants. At worst, I was in my animal forms. So Raven saw me without a shirt on. Big deal. Just go to a public pool or something."

That… somehow worked. Cyborg opened and closed his mouth in an attempt to argue, but just grumbled under his breath as his arm _ding!_ed, breaking out the popcorn. Starfire looked back and forth between them intently – a little _too_ intently – before smirking slightly while returning her focus to Cyborg's popcorn dispensing arm.

_'__What was that look for?'_ Beast Boy wondered.

_'__Just when I'm thinking about hurting you, you diffuse things,'_ Raven thought in resignation, allowing herself to calm at his nonchalance. Thankfully, what happened in the jungle stayed in the jungle; even if nothing technically _happened_… even though a lot of things happened… per say.

Her thoughts were interrupted by light _pop_ping sounds coming from Beast Boy, watching with gross fascination as one by one, every joint in his body was popped, the multitude of bones in his hands and feet making fizzling crackles like _Fizz Rocks_ candy. And he wasn't even moving, almost as though the process was autonomous simply through breathing. He quickly finished with a neck roll, relieving the tension in his vertebrae. "_Uuuh!_ Remind me to visit a chiropractor tomorrow," he stated, rotating his shoulders.

"Dude, what the hell?" Cyborg asked, pointing with a confused look on his face. He quickly pointed his finger over the inhuman-sized popcorn bowl, his fingertip opening up to dispense extra drizzling melted butter.

"Nitrogen buildup in the joints dude. It happens," Beast Boy explained without a care.

"You ready to go?" Nightwing strolled back into the room, now dressed in a black gi with blue trimming. He took a moment to observe Beast Boy's state before shrugging. _'His choice.'_

"Ready as I'll ever be," he commented, mirroring the leader's steps toward the center of the mat.

The other three Titan's sat down in their seats, watching the approaching spectacle. Starfire was already shoveling handfuls of popcorn into her mouth to feed her nine stomachs, while Raven fidgeted in her seat. Cyborg still stood, looking like he was making a ton of calculations before he tapped his throat like one would tap a microphone.

"_Eh-hemm!_" the half-robot said as he cleared his throat. "_IS THIS THING ON?! Oooh! Ambient noise and everything!_" He cleared his throat once again. "_Ladies and Gentle-dudes! Today, on this episode of "_MMA – Hero Edition_" we have an exciting fight! In one corner, the protégée of the one and only Batman! Master of multiple martial arts! The ninja-monk with a brooding attitude, and leader of the Titans! Give it UP, FOOOOOR NIGHT–WING!_"

Crickets chirped as Starfire clapped rapidly in applause. Nightwing in question just sighed before getting in a readied stance. Grumbling under his breath, Cyborg played a recording of a cheering crowd before continuing.

"_And in the other corner, the master of a million forms (animal forms that is)! A former member of the Doom Patrol, he's half-man, half-animal, all beast! GIVE! IT! UP! FOR! BEAST! BOOOY!_"

"Whoo," Raven cheered indifferently. Crickets continued chirping. Que another round of recorded cheering.

"_To-night! We bring you a live spectacle of skill, determination, and–_"

"Dude, can we just fight?" Beast Boy stated impatiently. "My reinstatement is on the line, and I'd rather not make it a "spectacle". This is serious, so I'd rather treat it as serious."

"But I didn't even do the stats and skills breakdown," Cyborg protested in his normal voice. "That's essential! You can't fight without the Stats! And Skills Breakdown!"

"Then we'll just have to do without," Nightwing affirmed, supporting Beast Boy's assessment. This wasn't a game-show. And he couldn't help the flicker of approval he felt that Beast Boy was taking this just as seriously as he was.

Cyborg slumped, walking forward as he muttered, "You guys are no fun." As he approached the center of the training mat, he looked between the two of them. "Alright guys, since ya both bein' party-poopers, lemme lay down some ground rules. No biting, grabbing hair, and no aiming anywhere near the groin. The Boyz stay sacred! Ya do any of that, yur disqualified. I want a clean fight."

"Sounds good," Nightwing stated, shifting only slightly in position.

Beast Boy just rolled his eyes. "No promises on the biting," he grinned, flashing his fully developed canines that were… quite alarmingly sharp looking. "And if this was life-or-death, would "clean" really matter? You beat the opponent by any means necessary. Plain and simple."

Cyborg frowned. "Let's pretend that none of us have lived outdoors for the past couple months. Or have claws and fangs. Fair, and square, get it?"

"Got it," the changeling affirmed with a grumbled snort. "But I'm not filing my claws."

"Fine. Now go at it." Cyborg quickly took a step back, half expecting B to attack immediately. It's what he'd always done before in previous spares; always attacking preemptively, only for said attack to fail. Instead, both of them just watched, observed, and waited; Nightwing readied and watching, while Beast Boy stood at a slight angle, as though he was simply waiting for the girls at the mall. This threw Nightwing for a loop, but he quickly collected himself, slowly moving counter-clockwise in an attempt to test Beast Boy out.

Beast Boy followed, both combatants circling each other.

"So who do you think will win?" Cyborg asked nervously, teething at his robotic fingertips as he sat back down, popcorn forgotten.

Raven seriously considered it as she watched them move. Everything she knew from her short time with Beast Boy, and everything she knew when sparring with Nightwing. "Garfield is quicker, stronger, tougher, has greater endurance, more tenacious, more vindictive, more unpredictable, can think faster on his feet, recovers from injuries faster, and has better self-preservation instinct. He's also running the greater handicap without access to his abilities or excessive force. Plus, he's considered an unknown factor with four months of unknown training."

"Friend Beast Boy is all of those things?" Star asked in thought, putting a finger to her cheek as she thought this over. She took several bites of the corn that is popped, as she mulled this over.

Cyborg gave Raven a questioning look, to which she nodded in understanding. She'd only inherited a few traits from their merging; and from what she'd seen, he might have all of those traits… and then some. The half-robot could at least she where she was coming from.

"Dick has _years_ more experience in hand-to-hand combat, knows more martial arts, is more focused, is more informed, more analytical, develops more strategies to fight an opponent the longer they fight, has more training and preparation than all of us combined, and has better combat instinct. The handicap isn't as big for him, simply because he's trained for the "no powers, no equipment" scenario more than any of us," Raven stated, looking between the two of them worriedly.

"Not to mention that they each have a varying degree of each other's stats," Cyborg confirmed. "So far, just from what we know, Dick has the greater advantage?"

Raven nodded. "Mentality is where Dick takes lead, with his conditioning taking a close second. He'll take advantage of his own advantages and capitalize on anything he can.

"Garfield has to hold back though, so he's going to be pulling punches. Plus, a lot of his power is conditional, even without his abilities."

"Why would friend Beast Boy do this?" Starfire asked, trying to accurately calculate her own take on this battle. As much as she was rooting for both of her friends, she was still a warrior, and knowing was half the battle. But why would anyone willingly hold back their punches? Granted, friend Beast Boy's claws were something to be wary of, but that had little to do with reducing ones own attack strength.

Raven flinched when she suddenly thought back to the sheer power he'd used to tear apart the pack of jaguars. Granted, with his abilities… right up until his human form tore out one's throat. The others noticed this, and quickly gave her full attention. "Because he could do serious damage if he didn't hold back," she stated, letting the unexplained settle. "At this point, the fight favors Dick as long as Beast Boy doesn't get in too many hits. Luck is also a factor here." It was the truth, and it wouldn't be changed no matter how much she wished it; not that she wished either of her teammates ill, but she also wanted Beast Boy back on the team, as selfish as that might seem to some.

Her attention became riveted when Nightwing shot forward, sending out a few quick jabs to test Beast Boy's reflexes. The changeling simply ducked or sidestepped, keeping his eyes focused for an opening without either side meeting the other. He scanned ravenously for a shot that wasn't a false lead. He'd give the Titan's leader one thing, he was good at feinting, trying to lure him with false openings. A predator pretending to be prey..

As much as he'd like to wait him out, let him exhaust his stamina, it would appear he was realizing that he had to conserve his lesser reserves. Nightwing was likewise impressed as he stepped back. He didn't land a hit; Beast Boy didn't even try to block. While to some this would be a good thing, it was bad. Very bad. If they didn't make contact in some way, there wasn't a way to gauge his opponent's strength, power, or rebound; especially when he wouldn't attack the openings he'd created. How deep his defenses went, or how much power was put into protecting versus attacking. The changeling was dodging, which meant that he was following his movements just fine without giving away the finer details of his own defense; and he wasn't attacking, or being lead into false openings so his attacks could be gauged.

Smart. Methodical.

_'__Intentional,'_ he thought, hopping back several steps. Smart was cautionary. Methodical was bad. Intentional…? Intentional was terrifying. Intentional meant that they were deliberate, calculated, disciplined, controlled; all the things needed in a combat situation.

Beast Boy didn't press the gap between them, frowning as he watched Rob– Nightwing regroup, clearly adjusting his strategy. While it wasn't generally a good idea to let an enemy regroup, it wasn't wise to go on the attack right after your defenses were being tested. So many choices.

God! Making strategies hurt his brain!

"I feel like I gotta ask, how many martial arts did the Doom Patrol teach you?" Nightwing asked, beginning his circling once more.

"Boxing, a little Judo and Jujitsu," Beast Boy answered nonchalantly, as though revealing this wasn't _that_ big of a deal. "It was all about bulling your way through the enemy, or getting an opponent in a position to be effected by yours or someone else's powers.

"And you?"

"I'd need a sheet of paper to start the list, and a lot of it," Nightwing responded. "Simply put, _mixed_ Martial Arts is an understatement. Try the _spice rack_ of Martial Arts. Most of it involved grappling, holds, throws, and instant takedowns. Judo, Jujitsu, Aikido, Muay Thai, Karate, Bagua Zhang, varies styles of Kung Fu–"

"_Geeeeez_! We get it!" Beast Boy exasperated, also circling him. "Were you gonna arrange it in alphabetical order next?! Though, I didn't expect Muay Thai to be on that list."

Nightwing nodded. Even he could admit that his skill set was a little over the top for his age. "Muay Thai wasn't my thing. That was Batman's; but he had me learn it anyway. Elbow and knee strikes can be brutal. And Batman prefers brutal if it's effective. "A single strike that brings an enemy down is better than a flurry of stylistic blows". Most criminals will give up after a single solid strike. Pain tends to discourage further resistance.

"I prefer agility over strength. Accuracy over brutality. A strike to a pressure point can be just as good as a powerful punch to the nose."

"Fair," the changeling responded. He could respect that. Most predators preferred that method for hunting and killing prey. A few clean and vital strikes could end a fight with minimal effort.

Nightwing pressed in again with a kick, only to meet the changeling's own kick, his foot getting hooked by Beast Boy's instep. He pulled back, only to meet resistance as his leg remained held in place. Instead of pulling again, he pressed forward, forcing the changeling to redirect his leg or take the brunt of it to the side. But he was still holding out.

"Good defense," Nightwing commented, pressing to get in closer, sending a number of kicks and punches, alternating between a number of his known stances and styles, rolls and side-steps to keep himself unpredictable as he flawlessly flowed from attack to attack.

"Thanks," Beast Boy acknowledged, meeting his attacks with equally timed blocks. "You're kinda hard to read. Your footwork and center of gravity keep changing without affecting your balance."

Nightwing noted that no matter what attack he threw out, Beast Boy was countering it with equal force instead of superior force. That took a degree of skill. "Crank it up a notch?" he asked, going in for a palm strike.

Beast Boy's hand slithered around and redirected his palm. "Make it three," he grinned back.

They both clashed with barely recognizable movements, only the audible _puh!_ at each of their clashing limbs letting one know that they were in fact making contact. If this had been a cartoon or action movie, there would have been some upbeat music (maybe techno or rock? Possibly something intense and starring Jason Statham) to accompany their attacks; but this was real life, and unfortunately, real life doesn't come with music montages to make it more interesting… unless someone decided to open a playlist nearby. Which _wasn't_ happening.

Neither one had more than two limbs at ease as they kicked, weaved, punched, and blocked. Nightwing took careful note of Beast Boy's movements; some he recognized, others he didn't. He was keeping up just fine, and that was years of experience in hand-to-hand and hand-eye coordination directing him. "What style is that…?" He knee-blocked a gut punch before guiding an under-chin palm. He was grabbed by the wrist, quickly twisting away before something worse could come of being grappled. "…That doesn't look like any boxing or Judo…." He side-stepped a fully balanced kick, going for a leg grab before shifting back completely from a lightning quick finger strike. "…It's familiar though. _Wu __Xíng_ Kung Fu?" He used his dodge to add centripetal force to his spin, sending a perfect spinning jump kick to the changeling's face.

First blood.

_Wu __Xíng_. The "Five-Animal Forms". Or "Five-Element Forms" depending on who you asked. Including the Tiger, Crane, Leopard, Snake, and Dragon styles mostly found in Southern Kung Fu. The more commonly known alternate styles were Tiger, Crane, Monkey, Snake, and Mantis; along with several sub-categories that were altered based either on the size of the marital artist in question, or a sub-set of combat focuses.

The changeling rubbed his now sore cheek, looking a bit bitter about the hit. It had been a bit unexpected, but as much as he respected his opponent finding an opening… he just _really_ disliked getting hit. "_Shòu Xíng_," Beast Boy answered, recovering quickly to a stance that Nightwing recognized instantly. Friggin' Bear Style. Though it looked more like a bastardized version than the standard Imperial style.

"Never heard of it," he responded. Because _Shòu Xíng_ wasn't anything he'd studied, or even caught a whisper of; not even from the True Master. Was he making it up? Maybe. A new variation of combat wasn't good. It meant he wasn't prepared to face it. _'Uhhh! What better way to learn than on the job?'_ But still, how did Beast Boy learn it if Richard had never heard of it. What did _Shòu Xíng_ even translate too?

"You probably wouldn't have," was all the changeling offered. "And it's not like I use it much either. I spend about eighty percent of my fights as an animal."

"And the other twenty percent?" Nightwing asked.

"Knocked out or knocked around," the changeling depreciated humorously. Not wrong though.

Nightwing had to dodge the series of clenched palmed swipes, tears, and rips that Beast Boy's current style emulated, along with the potential grapples and holds that came with it. His stance was less disciplined, more… for lack of a better term, "wild" and spontaneous, not even following any baseline, kata, or form that guided many martial arts styles. It was more natural and free-form; easily flowing from one movement to the next without holding any odd positions.

Just as he thought he was starting to find a familiar rhythm, Beast Boy's stance changed, instantly landing two weaker knuckle jabs to Nightwing's shoulder and chest, before jumping up and launching both his feet into his chest, sending him sprawling with the wind knocked out of him.

_'__Ho-Ho-Holy H-Hell,'_ Nightwing gasped in his thoughts, trying to recover as he crawled his way back to his feet. Never stay down. Never give your opponent the high ground… even if it felt like he'd just been bulldozed by Bane. When was Beast Boy _that_ strong? Granted, it was a double kick and not a punch, but still! _'N-Note-t-to-S-S-Self,'_ he wheezed. _'Don't g-get hit ag-g-gain.'_

Before the changeling could fall to his back from his prone mid-air position, one of his feet shot to the ground for support, using his leg like a fulcrum to bring himself back to his feet at the ready. Nightwing held back a groan as he pushed himself to his feet, following the shapeshifter's example.

"W-What form was that?" Nightwing asked, not recognizing it in the slightest. Yet it was too coordinated.

"Kangaroo. Notch?" the changeling asked.

Nightwing blinked. _'Kangaroo style… kung fu?'_ Oh? How fun. Taking one more breath to steady himself, he nodded fervently. "Notch," he agreed. Maybe it was time to utilize the open space the gym provided a little more. Once again, they launched at each other.

"Daaamn," Cyborg commented, his left eye glowing red as he recorded the whole fight, sipping nervously on a soda through a straw. The best part was, he had camera's all over the room, so he was not only getting it all straight up, he was getting it from multiple rotating angles. Perfect for when he finally got around to building a simulation room. This shit was intense! He was especially mindful of Beast Boy's movements; subconsciously adding to a plethora of data he was collecting, while simultaneously comparing it to other combat situations with the changeling. So far, the increase in apparent skill between the now and four months ago was dramatic; whether he was actually applying himself, or he'd just improved that much – as unlikely as such a leap was – he couldn't actually say.

Starfire watched with her hands clasped in front of her chest, her big bright eyes having flicked back and forth notably. While she was mildly versed and guided in the way of Earth martial arts – thanks in great part to her fiancé – she paid closer attention to its application as her teammates fought.

And incase either of them went too far. She knew well what could happen when a simple spar could lead into a battle trance. It could be… most unpleasant. But it was still fascinating to see the two of them exchange blows with a mixture of skill and finesse. While she was more apt to cheer on her boyfriend, she was conflicted as to who was worthy of attaining victory. Because victory was achieved with only one winner, and both of them were gradually amping up their clash.

Raven didn't know what she was supposed to think. Was there even a uniform way to describe what she was seeing?

_'__Bad. Ass,'_ Brave stated with absolute certainty to counter her uncertainty.

_'__Fair enough,'_ she admitted. Even with Nightwing's training, she was subpar to proficient in hand-to-hand. And now she had a front row seat to watching him actually working to keep up, with Beast Boy of all people. But at the same time, she was… oh Azar, she was jealous that he could keep up with their leader. Then again, the only reason she could keep up in the first place was because of all the interesting little alterations that had happened to her body. At one point, she remembered thinking she had become less-than human thanks to those alterations… now, she couldn't think that. Thinking that about herself meant – logically – she felt the same with Garfield. But she couldn't think about him as less-than human. Not really. So she wouldn't very well doubt her own humanity if she couldn't doubt his. Logically speaking, that is.

She wouldn't show it, but she was proud of how quickly he was rising to Nightwings challenge. For every blow left unconnected, both fighters escalated. While she wasn't one interested in being the audience, it was a wonder to her how caught up she was in the action. Movies didn't do the real thing justice. Maybe it was reality's 4-D graphics that made it immersive. Every following of her eyes, every drop of sweat that reached her nose, the blows she heard in the air as their limbs connected, the heavy weight of anticipation she tasted on her tongue, or even the subtle tremor of their fighting brushing along her exposed hand. It was all too immersive.

She reached for the pouch around her neck to refocus and bring her senses back toward her, only to realize she'd given it to Beast Boy earlier. _'Well crap.'_

The intensity had increased exponentially as the two heroes went back at it. Instead of the less-than standard hits and kicks (it was martial arts for crying out loud), it evolved further, each of them combating with a hail of grapples, subtle attacks to pressure points and joints, attempts at holds and throws. Like a very, _very_ complex game of tag with a plethora of tag-backs. And in turn, they were being deterred as quickly as possible. The right hold or pressure point could effectively be the beginning of the end to the fight. Hands were moving too fast to try and break it off with any slower, albeit more powerful, kicks. For all intents and purposes, civility had been temporarily pushed aside in favor of pure focus.

While Beast Boy was being particular toward pressure point hits, Nightwing was being vigilant of the claws that Beast Boy possessed. Every near-miss had to be taken a step further back to avoid a slight gleam of ebony as he moved, and the changeling knew it. Every swipe seemed to blaze black as they cut through the air, aiming to hurt rather than tear and maim. Despite his escapades, he frowned, both in concentration and in dissatisfaction.

He could tell Beast Boy was holding back. The subtle shifts in his hand-work were telling. He couldn't count the number of times he'd watched the changeling deviate his strikes. And why? Because the majority of them were aimed to kill or cripple. Not that he wouldn't have blocked them; his skill wasn't that lacking. No. It was something far simple: The changeling was naturally inclined to target an opponent's weaknesses, or more accurately, their vitals. The number of times he'd pulled his attacks to prevent from targeting Nightwing's kidney, liver, arteries, or throat was almost staggering, sometimes completely avoiding the more obvious vitals like the heart or lungs. And if he wasn't attacking vitals, he was aiming in ways that would cripple: tendons, joints, nerves. Like a predator attempting to slow his prey.

And Beast Boy was noticeably reigning in those otherwise devastating attacks. Four months at large, and he'd undoubtedly had to rely on his baser instincts. And now that he was back, he was controlling and taming the habits that had kept him safe and at large. But the instinct was still there, and Nightwing worried about it. Couple it with the fact that the changeling wasn't limited to his humanoid form, the darker capabilities were multiplied to unknown capacity. He didn't want to think about what would it take for Beast Boy to lose that inhibition he was utilizing to the utmost right now.

Besides... letting his mind wander in the middle of a fight could be a game-ender.

He switched up his stance once again, palming away both of Beast Boy's hands before striking with a fist converging on his sternum while the other was a two-finger strike to his diaphragm before he could side-step or turn away from it. While the sternum and ribcage resisted the hit, the hit to Beast Boy's diaphragm left him stunned and unable to breathe. Nightwing followed up with a palm strike under his jaw as he heaved down, an attack that should have crumpled him right then and there. The _crack!_ that echoed from his blow caused him to step back in shock as blood dribbled out of the corner of the changeling's mouth. "Oh shit! Sorry, I–!" he attempted to get out, right before the changeling slugged him thrice as hard in the gut. Nightwing keeled over, as did the changeling.

"D-Dude," the changeling hissed, spitting up a little more blood as he forced himself to breathe normally. "Did you just break my teeth?!"

_'__Break his teeth?'_ Nightwing wondered as he coughed, trying to keep his lunch down as he sat up, noticing that the changeling's mouth was twisting, like his tongue was trying to get at the side of his jaw. Within a moment, the changeling spit out a blob of blood, saliva, and two unevenly broken teeth onto the mat.

Beast Boy groaned as he pulled the side of his cheek back, his tongue finding the gaps left in his gums, along with the fragments of enamel left behind. He was quick to go from hurting to calm. Before everyone's eyes, new teeth began rapidly pushing up into place, discharging whatever was left over of his missing teeth – and the nerve endings they were connected to – before spitting those out to. It was… a surprisingly graphic process. The point of his molars split up through his jaw, pushing up any residual blood from the gape in his gums, reforming fast enough to send a shiver down anyone's spine. It was… _un_natural, for lack of a better word.

Beast Boy was quick to narrow his eyes on the Titan's leader. "Dude! You're lucky I can regrow my teeth! I've already lost my kiddy teeth, and I am _not_ getting replacement teeth before I've even hit twenty!" He groaned, his tongue still running over the new teeth, wincing at how raw the new nerves felt. "Great! Now my dental records need updated," he commented, gritting and bearing it as he went over to pick up his discarded teeth. "At least I'll get two more quarters tonight."

"We can stop if you need–" Nightwing didn't get to finish as he agilely flipped backwards to his feet, avoiding a sudden reaching axe kick from the changeling before he could finish.

"The Nine-Hells with that," the changeling snarled… actually snarled, his pupils narrowing. Absently, his spinal column began to pop as the ridges became more pronounced and spaced, hunching him over. He slammed down evenly to all fours, his fingers curling in until his phalange claws flexed out.

"What happened to no powers?" Cyborg wondered, keeping a wary eye on the fight just in case. While he trusted B to keep it reigned in… better safe than sorry, especially since B looked a little feisty now that he'd lost some teeth.

"He's not using his powers," Raven commented easily, unsurprised by the new demonstration… but still surprised. _'What does he mean "the Nine-Hells"? That's my line!'_ As much as she would love for the fight to end now, both participants seemed eager to continue despite taking harder hits than before. Rude just snorted. _'Men.'_ "Although, I suppose those are the abilities of his human form, so it's a technicality at best."

Starfire continued to watch in contemplation, looking back and forth between the combatants with an analytic gaze.

Beast Boy was the first to charge this time, claws almost shredding into the mat as he propelled forward, his lower center of gravity and position making it harder for Nightwing to contemplate a normal fighting strategy, especially since he'd caught Raven's statement. _'Abilities in human form?'_ He flipped backwards, leaping up onto some of the stagnant training equipment, balancing himself with all the grace of a gymnast as he crouched and waited. Beast Boy was faster on all fours, leaping and bounding like an animal would, using both his feet and his hands to grip into the ground, giving him mastery over his ability to pivot and change directions in a heartbeat. Not good.

Nightwing continued to leap from equipment to equipment like a monkey being chased by a tiger… actually, that summed up how things looked at that exact moment. The difference being his distinct lack of a tail, and Beast Boy's ability to scale and balance far better than any feline.

He analyzed the situation as he made tactical retreats for the time being, noting the changeling's distinct increase in aggression… and distinct decrease in forethought. But what he was losing in planning and strategy, he was clearly making up for in tenacity. He was barely giving him a moment to stop and contemplate his next move.

_'__The advantage he gives me _is_ limited,'_ he thought in real-time, backflip rolling over to the top of Cyborg's tricked-out weight station before side-rolling from dashing changeling. This wasn't a friggin' anime where everyone could think at the speed of sound while they fought. What next? He could draw, dash, slice, and sheath a katana in under a second? Without wiping the blood off the blade? Funny. Real funny.

The advantage he thought of was simple. The changeling would have to pounce in order to latch on or attack. With all four appendages dedicated to running and redirecting his movement, he would have to temporarily sacrifice his attack for the added mobility, and blocking was almost certainly out of the question… unless he could switch from quadrupedal to bipedal in an instant? He didn't know! His info was limited, and Beast Boy was attacking like an animal! It was the best he could come up with on short notice!

He jumped toward the changeling, pushing off his head with his hand as he vaulted behind him. The changeling landed on the floor, launching up and flipping so when he hit the wall, he dug his claws in so he could face him down. Both parties stared at each other, trying to intimidate the other with all the effectiveness of two peas nestled in a pod.

"So," Nightwing hummed, trying to disguise his deeper breathing with talk. "What happened to you?"

Beast Boy just cocked his head, one ear flicking; an all too animal action. "I Got Guud," he answered, being unhelpful in his description. "And you sound out of breath. Don't tell me you're getting droopy, Dick?"

_'__Tired? No I'm not getti– You green-haired, son of a–!_' A tick mark appeared on Nightwing's forehead. It took a moment, but he gritted his teeth and bared the rather clever insult; almost too clever.

Beast Boy just smirked at his face. "Oh, I'm gonna have _way_ too much fun with this."

Starfire frowned, turning to her friends for clarification. "What does friend Beast Boy mean? And why is boyfriend Richard angry with him?"

Cyborg and Raven shared a blank look between each other, silently conversing rapidly. "We'll tell you when you're older," Cyborg placated in his standard "big brother" fashion, blatantly ignoring the fact that she wasn't that much younger than him in Earth years.

Starfire tried getting clarification from Raven, only for her "sister" to shake her head. Not the time; not the place. The Tamaranean just pouted at the lack of clarification as she returned to the fight.

_'__Calm yourself,'_ Nightwing could imagine his master saying, always as a suggestion rather than a command. And even if it was only a suggestion, he obeyed, letting himself calm. Getting angry wouldn't accomplish anything on his end. _'Calm. Calm like the eye of a storm,'_ he reminded himself. _'Acknowledge the anger. Channel it without letting it control my actions.'_ Easier thought than done.

Nightwing steadied his breath, slipping into a stance he'd been learning to master for the past few months. It wasn't perfect. Most true masters of their art had years to perfect their style, to train their bodies in a way that complimented the styles they adopted. To align their form to the closest imitation of what they sought. He'd had under four months. But it came to him naturally. So… progress?

"Looking a little serious there," Beast Boy noted with a smirk, hopping down to the ground. For a guy that looked human for the most part, every move he made was borderline animal. If a tail had been trailing behind him, following his body like a cat's or a monkey's, it wouldn't seem out of place at all.

"I'm taking you seriously," Nightwing stated simply, narrowing his eyes in focus. And he was. Beast Boy was proving to be an excellent combatant. Granted, a little on the more dangerous side. He _refused_ to underestimate him. "Consider this an acknowledgement of your skill."

"You do know I have no intention of losing?" Beast Boy stated, sauntering forward like bipedal cat on the hunt.

"Good. And neither do I," Nightwing stated in return. It wasn't _just_ about reinstatement anymore. As dumb as it may sound, there was a need for clarity. Clarity through fighting. And maybe some resolution. Or a lot. How long had they been on near opposing sides of the same team? Robin – now Nightwing – with his stoic visage and serious demeanor; Beast Boy, always one to crack a joke. Both trained to be soldiers in a war against villainy, and neither meeting up to the standard their superiors had anticipated; so both found different ways. It was as much about figuring out where they stood with each other, as it was about figuring out where they stood as a team. They were so similar, and yet so different, whether they knew the nitty-gritty details or not.

Beast Boy couldn't help the growl that exited his throat as his teeth gnashed and bared together, and his ears laid back. On some fundamental human level, he knew this wasn't about status, or being Alpha, or territory, or anything remotely animal. But that simple declaration was as rousing as any challenge. Powers or not, he felt his skin crawling; those few – but potent – inner Beasts vying for assertion. But that was the test: to fight without all those millions and billions of forms; as much a part of him as he was of them. To fight with his form, and his alone.

He dashed again, Nightwing holding his ground as he prepared to meet it head-on. Adrenaline pumping through their veins and through their brains was about the only thing slowing down their perceptions of time. Counter to his anticipation, Beast Boy slid low rather than pounce, using the claws on his toes like a raptor as he kicked up from the floor, aiming for the knees.

Nightwing's hand moved forward, feeling the jarring in his hand and forearm as he absorbed the strike, even as his other hand flew fluidly around and struck the changeling in the soft spot of the Achilles tendon. Not to damage obviously. Just to hurt. Because this was just a test… and there was this amass feeling of impending death burning into the side of his head.

To Beast Boy's credit, he only yelped, pulling away quickly as he favored his unscathed leg. Just as quickly as he pulled away, he was attacking again, noticeably slower as he attempted to break through Nightwing's guard after the initial attack. He attacked with open palms and swiping claws, attempting to land a hit with his faster speed, only for Nightwing to seemingly flow around his attacks like the water of a stream around a rock. A rock that was slicing away at the layers of his gi.

The new stance was certainly helping, but God, his hip control could use some work!

The changeling shot past his guard, driving the pad of his thumb between the lapels of his gi and into the supra pressure point.

Nightwing grunted painfully, pushing his hand away before agilely jumping and throwing his legs around Beast Boy's torso, twisting with his hips even as the changeling lost balance from the added weight. He quickly repositioned himself as they hit the hard floor instead of the mat, stealing the moment to pull Beast Boy's arm back into an armbar, locking his legs across the changeling's chest and securing his hand even as he lifted his hips.

"_Gah!_" Beast Boy cried out, the pressure on his arm fulcruming in a way that was clearly not natural.

"Either yield, or fight it," Nightwing demanded, laying out the ultimatum.

A growl and groan later, Nightwing's neck snapped backward as the changeling tensed his fingers, the claws in his phalanges narrowly missing his bare chin as they flexed sporadically and at random from the captured arm. Nightwing increased the pressure, watching the changeling's reaction. Beast Boy was holding back again even as his face contorted. The claws of his free hand were twitching something fierce as he did everything in his power to keep from jamming his claws into Nightwing's leg, slamming his fist on the ground even when Nightwing didn't let up the pressure on his arm.

Beast Boy huffed to himself, only half paying attention as he was rendered immobile. He was caught. No matter how much he wanted to pretend otherwise, he was in a hold that could very well bust his arm. He had to hold back a hiss as his head lay back, his chin turning near limply to the floor…

No one was cheering or jeering, or making any sound at all. Only watching. They could only watch. Watch as he got his ass kicked again. And again.

…Just for green to meet purple. Of all the sights to see in the entire room, of the other people he could have looked at in that moment, he just had to look Raven in the eye. Watching as on some internal level, he could feel the restraint she was exercising to not interfere.

Maybe it was stupid, but it was enough. He wouldn't have come back for anyone else; as depressing as that thought was. Maybe it was because no one else knew him better than she did. Maybe it was because it was her forgiveness he wanted – and _needed_ – more than anyone else's. Maybe it was because every instinct in his body was prepared to mutiny against him if he didn't agree to follow her back.

Holding eye contact was harder than he would have imagined, and he couldn't tell who broke it first, but eventually it ended. But it sparked _something_ as he looked back up at the ceiling. Cutting just below the surface without breaking the tension like a shark knifing the ocean's surface.

"Yield, or fight!" Nightwing demanded again, feeling the slack in his opponent's body suddenly coil tighter with renewed tension. _'C'mon Beast Boy! C'mon!'_ the Titan's leader silently urged on.

Beast Boy felt the something squeeze around his chest. And he felt a chortle lodge in his throat.

The first _bang!_ jostled everyone.

Beast Boy winded his neck back up, the back of his head _crack_ing back down on the hard floor with another _bang!_ Again. And again. And again! Every muscle in his neck and jaw was clenched, his breaths deep and ragged, and just short of human.

"Why are you fighting?" Nightwing asked, locking down his hold on Beast Boy's arm even tighter, prepared to raise his hips even more to get his point across if need be. "Why struggle so hard when you know what happens afterward?" It was a test. It was always a test.

He felt the hairs on his arm stick straight up as the air suddenly felt super-charged. A small flash in his eye forced him to look down at the captive arm. Low and behold, a couple almost imperceivable white sparks where dancing between the hairs of Beast Boy's arm like filament, arcing up from the skin until it fizzled out and started between two other hairs. Some of the sparks zapped through the cuts in his gi, biting unpleasantly at his own skin. _'Electricity?'_

"_Let go!_" Beast Boy growled, his voice suddenly an octave or two lower. Raven watched on in worry, her nails biting into the sleeves of her suit, half-anticipating a transformation. When Beast Boy remained trapped, the sparks on his arm intensified, humming angrily when his pupils sharpening as they were pulled into slits, and his arm tensed again. "_I said. Let. __**GO!**_"

Then Beast Boy heaved.

And shoved his fingers around his own trachea.

His throat shot upward as though he were swallowing, vibrating back down into place as he made a sound that bordered on imperceptible to the human ear, his jaw jostling to control the reverberations as they echoed through his skull. He repeated, the oscillations increasing in frequency, rhythm, and intensity.

Nightwing's grip loosened only just as his heart started to beat erratically. His mind was as calm as could be. But his body… his body was shaking in terror; like he'd inhaled the faintest wisp of Scarecrow's fear gas, minus the paranoia and hallucinations. Okay. Maybe _some_ paranoia. The edges of his vision were blurring, and it was getting harder to breathe; vertigo steeling at his body. He grit his teeth to try and steady himself, even as he fought to keep his grip on the changeling's arm. He looked down at his captive, blinking when he saw him glaring right back at him with those dangerously inhuman eyes. His under-bit mouth was half ajar, the tips of his hair was vibrating, his ears quivered, and his throat wobbling up and down almost violently. But there was full awareness and _intent_ in those eyes.

With a sickening _pop!_ and an audible wince, Beast Boy dislocated his elbow, causing the limb to fall limp before pulling it through and around Nightwing's loosened grip now that it wasn't restricted to bending one direction. He rolled away, doing his best not to whimper or yelp as he pulled his free-hanging forearm closer to his chest, still jarring it in his attempt to get away.

The noise stopped, causing the absence of the volatile sound to ring unpleasantly in the world. Nightwing heaved, more from trying to meet the oxygen requirements of his still rapidly beating heart than from exhaustion, though both conditions were present. Rather unsteadily, Nightwing pushed to his feet, schooling his features as he slipped back into form, taking in the damage Beast Boy had taken for himself. Now if only he could get that incessant sound out of his head.

Beast Boy slowly pawed to a seated position, cradling his arm as he huffed, sweat sliding down his temple. It _hurt_. Holy shit! It hurt!

Starfire was standing now, watching worriedly with her hands clasped. But despite this worry, she approved. Sometime… sometimes sacrifices were made to keep fighting. Especially in trials of combat like this. It was battle. Her friends, however, were not as understanding of this.

"Gar!" "B!" Raven and Cyborg were surging forward, already halfway to his position. They practically slid to a stop when the person of their worry held up his uninjured arm in halt, not taking his eyes off their leader.

"I'm fine guys," Beast Boy winced, keeping his focus well for a guy that had one limb that could be swung in a circle like a broken helicopter blade, a darker shade of bruised green already puffing up and swelling around the joint. Despite this, his gaze held a certain glazed look that was focused… but not.

"The Hell you are?!" Cyborg cussed, sharing the same look of disbelief as Raven. "We're calling it!"

Gritting his teeth, he grabbed his busted forearm, taking a shuddering deep breath before his breath hitched like a guy who was told to count to three… and acted on _one_. The dislocated limb snapped back into place with a snivel and groan dying on the changeling's face as he smacked his forehead into the floor. The muscles and tendons around his elbow writhed under the skin as they rejoined back into their proper place before settling, the swelling fluids retracting and repurposing in his body. "I said, "I'm fine"," he reiterated gutturally, trying to make sure they couldn't hear his voice shake.

Cyborg turned a new shade of sick-green as he turned away as Raven's fingers twitched irritably in disapproval, ice-blue crackling like lightning on her fingertips. Starfire nodded in understanding; she'd seen far worse self-care, and for a single match, it was the best that could be done to remain in combat.

Beast Boy tested the range of motion on his elbow before nodding at the manageable amount of discomfort. He breathed, green eyes flaring but now normally shaped as he stood in his own bestial stance.

"That's enough. Let's go ahead and call it," Nightwing stated in agreement to his teammates, his stance loosening until he stood lax. The changeling didn't cease the tension in his shoulders as Nightwing walked over to him. It wasn't until the man offered a hand down that Beast Boy even thought about relaxing.

Eyeing the offered hand warily for a moment or two more, he gingerly reached up with his less-than hurting hand, almost as if the limb might attack him. They crossed thumbs before Nightwing easily pulled him to his feet.

"Welcome back," he stated with a smile, clapping the changeling on the shoulder.

"But I didn't win," the changeling stated disappointedly, catching his breath.

Nightwing shook his head lightly. "Maybe, but ultimately, that wasn't the objective. But for the first time since this team has been formed, you wanted to." If one could see past the eyes of his mask, they might have seen… was that pride? "For once in a spar, you didn't settle to be the punching bag. You didn't do the bare minimum _just_ to get by. You fought back. You pushed yourself. But when you did hold back, it was for the right reasons; you remembered that it was a spare. For a guy with jetlag, you brought your A-game."

"Still wasn't enough," Beast Boy stated deprecatingly. "Though it felt more like a solid B-minus."

"It's a start," Nightwing offered, patting Beast Boy's good shoulder approvingly before looking at their hooded teammate. The next part wasn't planned, and the hesitation on his face must have shown, because Beast Boy immediately raised an eyebrow at him.

"You okay dude? I didn't clip, did I?"

He shook his head. "Regardless of how the fight turned out, I owe you an apology." The shock was evident on the changeling's face, but he pressed on before either of them got cold feet and tried turning it into a joke. This wasn't a funny matter. "I verbally and emotionally attacked you when you were here, and it was not only uncalled for, it was unfair. To everyone, but especially to you."

He sighed as the tension from the hard part wore off. "I don't blame you for leaving like you did. I… I would have done the same thing, and you had every right to feel the way you did. I didn't make this a place you could feel safe at home, and I apologize for my actions.

"I hope we can try being friends again," he offered before he corrected himself. "_Actual_ friends this time."

Beast Boy smiled slightly at the apology. While he wasn't sure how heartfelt it was, getting Robi– _Crap!_ Nightwing, to apologize was usually like pulling teeth. Maybe things would be different this time around.

"I won't say it's okay dude. Because… well, it wasn't. But I don't want to hold it over your head," Beast Boy stated, doing his best not to look around nervously. "It'll take some time, but… apology accepted. We'll see how things go from here."

Nightwing nodded in relief before half-gesturing to Beast Boy's arm. "Ya might want to get that looked at then."

"Oh, this? Nah! She'll heal up nice!"

Nightwing shook his head dejectedly. "I may have apologized, but I'm still this team's leader and have to look after everyone's well-being. Raven, go ahead and make sure that arm is set right before you both turn in. We'll worry about everything else tomorrow. Report as early as you can…." He made to leave before turning back toward the changeling. "…Titan." He then left to change out of his half-shredded gi. "Night guys."

Starfire walked up to Beast Boy, her hands clasped in front of her respectfully, nodding affirmatively. "Well fought friend. You have shown great improvement. My people would find your spirit and resilience most gratifying. Not many would risk injury to themselves to continue fighting." She brushed his brow affectionately, almost measuring how much taller he had grown. "But I would request you do not make this a habit. It is much easier to eat the Pudding of Sadness with the both of your hands. Despite much of my disappointment at your actions, injuring yourself does not bring any of us comfort."

"Thanks Star," Beast Boy replied softly. "I'll uh… I'll keep that in mind."

She smiled. "Good. Do you have a preferred time of day you would wish to consume?"

"Breakfast," he grumbled. "It's first thing in the morning when I'm still half brain-dead, and the time between breakfast and lunch is short so I can wash my mouth out."

"Wonderful! I will prepare it alongside Silkie's morning meal!" she exclaimed, not paying attention to the green-on-green Beast Boy's face was making at that thought. His food was being made alongside whatever was being made for the resident larvae. "I wish you pleasant evenings then. And will do the seeing of you on the morrow." Starfire swiftly flew after Nightwing.

Beast Boy just raised an eyebrow at his remaining teammates. "Apologies and breakfast dates aside, they sleepin' together?" He didn't want to think about breakfast. Or the clear evident abomination that would be his breakfasts for the foreseeable future.

"They better not be," Cyborg stated firmly with crossed arms. "There's only so much bleach in the world."

"They're not," Raven clarified with a cringe, rubbing her chakra sympathetically. "The headaches would never end if they were." She quickly smacked him upside the back of his head, earning a soft "Ow" from him. "What?! The Hells?! Were you thinking?!" she demanded, her glare cutting off any retort. "Don't you ever dislocate your arm like that again!"

"And if I do?" he asked cheekily, causing her eyes to furrow deeper, and her second set to creep open.

"I'll come up with _something_," she answered without a clue. "I don't know what. _But_, believe me. You won't like it." There were no doubts; he believed her.

Cyborg just shook his head as he ruffled Beast Boy's shaggy do. "Your back for less than a day, and you're already aggravating Raven. Good times," he chided gently before smiling. "If you're up for it, I'll see ya after breakfast so we can get ya checked up." His hand lasted a little longer on his head than was probably necessary. "Good ta have ya back man. I'd hug ya, but best get that arm checked out." And soon enough, he was gone too.

Once again, it was just the two of them.

"Was it just me? Or were they kind of eager to go?" he asked, watching the door his friends had left through. He wasn't _too_ disappointed, but… it did sting a little.

Raven's second set of eyes closed as she breathed deeply. "It's not that they were eager, Garfield. But it _has_ been four months. Things have changed. We had to adapt and evolve without you here." She didn't seem any happier about that fact.

He nodded rather glumly. "I guess it _would_ be too much to ask for things to go back to the way they were." He took a deep breath of his own the exhaled as a sigh. "Just gonna have to learn how to hunt in a pack again."

Raven just rolled her eyes at his allusion to animals before stepping closer. "Here." Raven's hands were hovering above his arm, projecting an icy blue as she simultaneously scanned and healed any residual damage. Very gently, she allowed her fingers to settle against his arm, direct contact allowing her magic to seep further and faster. Where the damage had subsided, she still sent a cool chill through his arm to help relax it.

He just watched her work, finding it interesting how her brows (and second eyelids) furrowed as she focused on the task. "Kinda reminds ya of the first time," he commented nostalgically.

"What does?" she asked, doing her best to keep her focus while his shirtless torso was mere inches from her hands. She sighed internally. Here he was being all sickly-sweet reminiscing with that easy smile, and she was acting like a teenager. _'Azar help me.'_

"Back when we were kids," he pointed out. "I ended up getting a road rash on my leg from our first fight with the H.I.V.E. I didn't heal as fast as I do now."

""Who knew we had a doctor in the house?"," she quoted him, barely upturning the corners of her mouth. Those had been the days. Thing were far simpler back then, and far less complicated; back when she was simply a means to an end. "How could I forget? It was one of the few times you weren't annoying." He snorted a chuckle, causing a humored sniff of her own while she thoroughly checked his arm. She smiled a little more. "Were we ever that young? It seems like too much has changed since then."

"Good changes, I hope," he teased.

"Mostly," she nodded. It took a moment before she realized her hands were lingering, and she quickly – but not too quickly – removed them. "You should be fine now. But…."

Her distinct pause made him pause. Raven hesitating was usually not a good thing after all.

"…I'd like to be there," she stated, before blinking and clarifying, "I mean when Cyborg does your physical examination. There are some things I need to check, and some things… we might need to talk about."

_'__Are you sure?'_ Knowledge asked.

_'__It'll be easier with someone else there,'_ she rationalized. _'Especially since Victor already knows about most of it.'_

"O-kay," he said, cocking his head at her. "What are you so nervous about?"

"I'm _not_ nervous," she rejected blandly.

His face was suddenly in hers, crouching so they were eye-level and mere centimeters apart, a subtle reminder that he was slightly taller than her now. His visage was serious as he held her eyes with his own. "Ya can't fool the nose or the ears Rae. Now what's up?"

She blinked as her breath hitched at his proximity. "You're imagining things." She frowned when he didn't back away, somewhere between nervous and angry as a trickle of his breath brushed her face. "Personal space," she stated, gently pushing him away, her hand pressing against his bare collarbone. "And put a shirt on," she added hastily. Was it just her, or was it getting warmer all of a sudden?

His eyes narrowed, pronouncing the thoughtful jut in his lower jaw as his lips pursed. "If you say so, Rae." Clearly, he didn't believe her. He stepped away, picking up his discarded shirt from the ground. He turned back to her with a soft smile. "Sweet dreams, Rae. See ya tomorrow."

She was halfway to mentally dismissing his presence when she heard his footsteps drawing closer. She turned to ask what he wanted… only for him to suddenly invading her space again, his forehead bunting into her chakra with the barest contact, knocking her hood back. Her mind was suddenly ablaze with his happiness, her body growing lighter as the physiological responses that such emotions triggered began manifesting before her will could assert itself.

He was purring lowly when he opened his eyes, meeting hers as their gazes encompassed the space of a couple sparce inches between them. "Hey Rae," he whispered.

Her lip quivered imperceivably as she tried to steady her breath, too surprised for her brain to come up with a retort that might save her dignity and face. But she watched him. Eye to eye as both their pupils flickered dilation softly. "Y-Yeah?"

If she had to describe how it "looked", his happiness was cocooning around the both of them, bathing around them like a blanket of light. It was warm. Welcoming. Holding her close as much as it dared without him actually touching her.

If it was even possible, his smile grew bigger, forcing his eyes to close at the intensity it was projecting. Even at the corners of his eyes, she could see the gentlest reflection of tears. "I'm home," he declared softly.

If it was even possible, his happiness grew brighter still.

_Thum-thum_.

As quickly as it came, it went. His presence all but disappeared in her mind's eye. "Night," he whispered. And he was gone. Probably to his room.

Raven stood alone in the gym for a moment, trying to tame the Timid nervousness that had been present during that exchange. "Night," she whispered belatedly, still dazed. That had… caught her off guard, and she wasn't sure if her heart was biologically designed to beat that hard. It was a slow beat mind you… but it felt like it was playing the kick bass on her ribs. Or maybe a war drum. She quietly sat down on one of the benches to steady herself before she toppled over.

_'__Oh crap,'_ Timid commented a moment later.

_'__What?'_ Raven asked back, drawn out of her haze.

_'__Seconded,'_ Rude affirmed.

_'__Thirded,'_ Envy continued, stunned.

_'__Fourthed,'_ Rage murmured.

_'__What's going on?'_ Raven asked.

_'__Not-so-crap,'_ Hope countered.

_'__~Seconded!~'_ Happy whispered, her cloak burning like a beacon.

_'__Thirded!'_ Passion breathed wondrously.

_'__Fourth me!'_ Brave dared.

_'__Mm-hmm,'_ Suffering shrugged.

_'__Votes are in,'_ Knowledge stated.

_'__Oh dear,' _Temperance sighed, rubbing her temples. _'All in agreement?' _she asked. There was no opposition.

_'__Someone tell me what's going on,'_ Raven demanded.

_'__Shhh,'_ Happy shooshed, wiping something from the corner of her eyes as she sniffed. _'It's a secret.'_

The emotional high didn't die down, and it was beginning to weigh down on her when she realized it wasn't going to last. _'How am I supposed to tell him after… well, that?'_ she wondered. Whatever _that_ was.

* * *

_Just down the hall…_

Beast Boy's eyes were the size of dinner plates as his brain finally… _FINALLY!_ … caught up with his actions.

"Oh shit," he whispered, gulping as his heartrate started beating like a jackrabbit through his chest. _'WHAT WAS I THINKING?!'_ He staggered his way to his room, not even caring if he was suddenly exploded through a wall right now. He was too numbed by his own bold stupidity to care.

He suddenly saw Raven's appeal and approval of hoods, because he pulled his over his head and pulled the draw strings tight to hide the miscolored reddish-brown that stained his green face, hiding in cloths of red-on-white. Now if only he could learn to portal.

* * *

_The Tower's "Cave"…_

Nightwing stood at his office desk, arms splayed out as if the spread was mostly covered by a map. While most would account the look on his face as displeasure, or brooding, it had its own facet and subtle differences to his features that simply suggested he was in a state of deep thought. His eyes were maskless, and held shut by his lids. It was easier to think in the dark.

Well… most of the time.

A pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders, holding him gently from behind.

"And what is doing the circling around my fiancée's mind?" A kiss to his cheek punctuated the question.

"Thinking. A lot," he answered, barely aware of the smile that crept to his lips.

"And about what are you doing the thinking?" Starfire asked, floating around him so she could sit on the edge of his desk. Thing were different now; for the better. His inner sanctum that had long been closed and guarded was available to her. It was still dark, save for a few lamps shining on newspapers and crime reports hanging on the walls; but she understood this was for his own focus. Besides, she helped him see things differently. Not everything was a file on his desk or a newspaper clipping on the wall.

Nightwing frowned. He lifted one hand, staring at the offending appendage as it began to tremble before clenching it closed. Star noticed, gently wrapping her hands around his fist, and simply holding it. His entire being relaxed in her hand, even before she pulled his knuckle to her lips, leaving a soft kiss on his ungloved hand.

"I think I could have beaten him," he stated simply, still processing events as he could see them.

"Friend Beast Boy?" she clarified.

He sighed, somewhat dejected at his own line of thinking. "With the standard restrictions in place, I'm positive, but…."

Starfire scooted closer to him, her knee flush with his side before she lifted his chin to force his gaze on hers. To center him and his thinking. "But what?"

"I don't know if I would win in a real fight," he admitted, looking back down at the desk. "Both of us, with all our abilities and gear at our disposal. He was pulling his attacks, especially during the end of the fight. What does that say about if we had to actually go toe-to-toe?"

"And this concerns you?"

Nightwing reluctantly nodded. "A little." He held nothing against Beast Boy, but the sudden jump in skill made it all the more… personally infuriating. He couldn't help the soft scoff that exited his nose. "If anything, I'm a little jealous."

Starfire held his had a little tighter. "This does not explain the trembling in your hand. Is it uncertainty? Or is it fear?" A terrible question.

With an equally terrible answer. "Both." He removed his hand from hers, gentle enough to let her know he wasn't shunning her contact. He held it out for her to see, along with him. It shook; ever so slightly. He never shook. He never wavered. Even facing off against some of Gotham's worst, he stayed the course. This was something else in him; something far older – and simpler – than the complexities of the human mind could fathom. "I… I can't get that sound of out of my head."

Starfire nodded. While it was not directed at her, it had been… most unpleasant. "What was it like? To me, it felt as though a Zar'gonian Gut Worm was crawling through my stomachs."

Richard shivered as he tried to recall it, more from how unforgettable the memory was. Part of that _may_ have also been his girlfriend's own description. "Like every hair on my body was ripping themselves out to get away." That was the tame version. The untame version? Was best left without verbal recognition in how tense his body had become. Tense, but weak enough to loosen his grip. "I guess more changed than I thought." _'No powers… and he still had all that under his sleeve… or skin, as it were.'_

Starfire just smiled at him slightly. "Perhaps we should retire for the evening. It will not do to condense so many things to contemplate into a single session of thought."

He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right." Before she could pull away completely, he stole a kiss from her lips. "Maybe we could try… I dunno… snagging some time to ourselves? Before bed?"

Starfire kissed him back, before giving him a sultry leer. "And have our friends cautious of our every move? I think not."

He sighed dejectedly, intertwining his fingers with Star's. With their "abstinence" in effect, the others were being super mindful to keep them accountable. It meant a lot of things, including not staying in each other's rooms, and his office was frequently monitored to prevent tempting fate and hormones. So before they parted ways for the evening, he wanted to hold on to his Star for as long as possible.

"Richard, I was wondering," Star asked with a surprising amount of innocence and nonchalance, as though she were a child about to ask where babies came from.

"What's up?"

"Is there something wrong with my cooking? Why would friend Beast Boy want to make "the tacos" of my Puddings? Is there something wrong with my Puddings?"

("_ABORT! MAYDAY! EJECT! ABANDON SHIP! S.O.S! GOTHAM, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!_" Larry cried from the Fifth Dimension, rapidly paging through "How to Answer a Loaded Question from a Woman – Interstellar Version". Ninety-four thousand pages, and _still_ nothing relevant or useful! "_Sorry Robin, but you're on your own!_")

_'__Damnit Beast Boy!'_ Nightwing yelled internally, now sweating as he tried to find an answer while under his future wife's completely innocent gaze.

Oh crap! She was his future wife!

* * *

**Authors Note:** Ahhhh! Done! **Don't forget to Read & Review! :)**

While I've watched a few martial arts movies, and even more videos, trying to write it is... ... ... _hard_. While writing fighting is relatively easy, trying to verbalize how fluid some martial arts are, or even the differences in stance and flow is also... _hard_. Apologies if it wasn't too descriptive. It looks like I've found another weakness in my writing compendium: Marital Aaarts!

Yes, Nightwing more or less won. This was inevitable in my opinion, especially when the skills stated by Raven were fairly accurate; in addition to the condition that Beast Boy would have to hold back. Whether or not Beast Boy would have won otherwise, I will also say this: This was a _spar_. It was treated as a spar. Nightwing knew this. Beast Boy knew this. Each took their own actions to ensure the fighting continued. That said, escalation doesn't detract from the fact that it was a spar, it just grew more serious as it progressed. I'll leave opinions as to who would win under other conditions or scenarios up to your own devices.

_Shòu Xíng_ Kung Fu is a fictional kung fu of my own make (unless it is actually a thing, but I couldn't find it so, Trademarked). Translated, _Shòu__ Xíng_ (兽形) means "Beast Forms". I did a number of back and forth translations for individual and combined characters to ensure that it was as accurate as possible. While similar in base to _Wu __Xíng_(五形) Kung Fu, fundamentally there is intended to be a more wild and more free-form fluidity in style that benefits Beast Boy's more animalistic approach and movements. They are literally intended to imitate the animals he becomes in the closest absolute approximation that the human body will allow. I did my research, and for those of you who know martial arts better than I, go easy on me. Please! I did the best I could with the limited amount of knowledge I could garner.

Nightwing's apology was a long time coming, but that finally came too. While some might find it too hasty, I would argue that... most apologies are. They are made within a single moment, and only time will tell if they are sincere or not. But Nightwing fulfilled his promise, and hopefully things will be better from now on.

**In Other** **News:**

I still haven't received a response of artist permission for the cover art I really, _really_ want to use, but I'm still trying. There's just a lot going on, and I can't blame the lack of response just yet.

On a personal note, I've made a couple debates as to how I'm to broach my enormous amount of story ideas. The simplest thing I can come up with - without completely disregarding whether or not I keep them - is to create Sample Stories. The prologue and one or two chapters at most, pending feedback, that way I've at least written a little bit. The story ideas are listed under my profile. Any encouragement or constructive criticism is welcome.

**_Tamaranean Translations (Original Translation)_****:** (just realized I've been typing it "Tamaranian" instead of the proper "Tamaranean" this whole time ... whoops!)

_Zar'gonian Gut Worm_ \- The Tamaranean equivalent of an Earth tapeworm. They're bigger, and much longer than what we know, and are capable of taking up residence in Tamaranean intestines and up to two of a Tamaranean's stomachs. _Zar'gonian Gut Worm's_ are also tougher, and much harder to treat, partially due to their Tamaranean nature, and partially because of Tamaran's lack of efficient medicinal advancement, due to constant war and fighting.

***End of Translations**

Once again, this is a Rough Draft, so if there is anything that needs, or is connecting in a weird way for you guys, let me know and I'll try to clean up the text. I do accept grammar and spelling errors too. (*A copy and paste, but hey, some things are worth repeating for you fine folk*)

As always (and I'll just keep posting this because its true), keep posting your constructive criticisms, as they will help me know what to look for in my future writings, and for the days I decide to do a hard edit. A writer should never stop growing, and I have no intention of stopping now.

Please Read and Review, and Private Message if you're shy or prefer your inquiries to be... well, private. Please indulge my curiosity, and let me know what parts you liked, what parts need work, and overall what you guys think about it :D I love questions as much as I love constructive criticism! If I don't have an answer to one or the other, it's something for me to contemplate and ask myself.

**Upcoming:**

_Magicks That Bind_ \- Arc 2: "_Homecoming" _– Chapter 10: _Dangers of Absolute Proximity _(I think this is gonna be the chapter title. No guarantees yet)

There will also be a new and interesting arrangement at the Tower for after his return ;) Still doing this.

I'm also hoping to get to a chapter, starring Thanksgiving with the kids, so I'm looking forward to that. Still wanna do this.


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